


A Collection of Near-Death Experiences

by somethingaboutamoose



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, College, Eventual Smut, F/M, Humor, M/M, Magic, Medical, Mutual Pining, Near Death Experiences, Superpowers, Witches, injuries, klangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-10-14 12:33:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 73,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10536564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingaboutamoose/pseuds/somethingaboutamoose
Summary: Keith was twelve years old when he was involved in a car accident with his family. After the near-death experience, Keith has found out something about himself: He can't die.Cursed with a sort of Murphy's Law syndrome, he continuously gets himself in trouble and almost dies, but somehow surviving with little consequences. Whether it is some kind of super power or not, he doesn't know how it works, and isn't sure if he cares to find out.Until he runs into Lance, who was only supposed to be his lab partner for some science project. But when he's around Lance, his body remembers how to be normal. Which is all fun and games until he learns that if he dies around Lance, he's not going to come back.





	1. prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter has some scenes of blood/pain. 
> 
> Also! If you can see I have NOT put a warning for death of major characters! Because although the description/title doesn't make it seem that way, no one actually dies in this story for real! Everyone who is alive in the beginning will be alive in the end! So you can go into this story with that in mind. Don't let my cliffhangers fool you, this story has an happy ending.

Keith’s hands shook as he scrolled frantically through his phone, muttering under his breath about iPhones having worst timing for bad connection.

He finally found the right contact, and tapped the pad of his thumb on the neon green call button. He winced as he moved to hold the phone up to his ear, soon deciding against the movement and instead put the call on speaker.

A moment or two passed as the phone rang. The low, monotone, anxious sound repeated three times before it was followed by an antithetically energetic, albeit confused, “Hello?”

Keith sighed, allowing his head to fall backwards in relief, “Hey, Lance.”

“Keith?” Lance’s voice, laced with static but still bursting with emotion, questioned, “It’s one in the morning, why are you calling me?”

“What? I can’t call just to chat?” Keith couldn’t help but to tease, although the situation absolutely did not call for it.

It was worth it when he heard Lance’s stumbling, “I mean-yeah, definitely, I was just-uh-what’s up?”

Keith laughed, coming out as a breathy cough, “No, there’s a reason for this phone call, a really good one. I was wondering if you could give me a ride?”

“A ride? Are you drunk or something?”

“No, agh,” Keith pressed a hand to his side, and brought himself to his feet. He used the wall to push himself up until he finally was able to stand. For a moment, dizziness washed over him, but not for long until he felt kinda actually maybe a little bit OK, “You know what? I will come to you, where are you right now?”

“Uh. At home?”

“Cool, I should be there in five.” Then, without further explanation, Keith hung up.

 

When Keith pulled up to Lance’s apartment complex, the young man was waiting in the lot. He had a cute look on his face of total befuddlement that Keith was expecting.

“So…” Lance said as he buckled his seat belt while Keith pulled onto the highway, “Wanna tell me where we’re going?”

“To the hospital,” Keith stated.

“Oh cool, uh, _why?!_ ” Lance practically shouted.

Keith gritted his teeth, fighting back a wave of pain, “Could you quiet down?”

“Could you give me some answers?”

“Just trust me,” Keith pleaded, “I’ll explain everything in a little while, I promise, but right now, I have to focus making it to the hospital.”

“Are you hurt? You look really pale,” Lance said. Keith glanced over to him and his heart picked up its pace, flattered by the way Lance’s eyebrows knitted together and how he lightly chewed on his bottom lip when he got nervous. Nervous for Keith.

Keith cursed himself, this was NOT the time. He didn’t answer Lance, simply drove on.

They made it to the hospital within the next ten minutes, and Keith didn’t wait for Lance’s help before he stumbled out of the car, rushing to the ER entrance.

For someone so wounded, he got there fast, nearly throwing himself on the desk and shouting, “I need to see Doctor Altea!”

The front desk personnel nodded without question and began dialing on his phone.

Lance soon rushed in behind him, saying, “Keith, hold up-WHAT THE FUCK. IS THAT A KNIFE?”

It, indeed, was a knife. A boning knife, sporting a good six inches and black handle, best used for cutting or boning fish, meat, or any poultry and not for sitting inside the abdomen of an twenty year old forensics major.

Keith groaned, responding with just, “Yeah,” and holding his bloody towel around the object currently ruining his whole evening.

“HOW DID YOU GET STABBED?” Lance said, refusing to move on.

Instead of answering the question, Keith suddenly was ushered by a doctor who had darted into the room. She looked calm and focused, not stopping for questions once she walked into the room. She held Keith by the elbow, talking fast and she led the two boys through the doors and down the hall.

“What time?”

“12:40.” Keith answered.

“Pain?”

“6.”

“Keith.”

“Fine, 10.”

Lance followed behind, just. So damn confused. He had no idea what was vaguely going on, but knew that he had to stay by Keith’s side.

They walked into a room towards the back. It was big enough that it fit all the necessities of an ER room, but also to act as a office. Without much observation skills, you could tell that this was a private work space of the same doctor who had taken Keith’s arm.

Keith laid himself on the hospital bed while Allura sat down in her chair, immediately putting on gloves and rolling herself over to inspect Keith’s wound.

As she worked, they spoke.

“Have you contacted Shiro?” She asked.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“He has an important meeting tomorrow, I didn’t want to upset him beforehand.”

“You know he will only be more upset when he finds out you didn’t tell him.”

Keith winced, “Ah-yeah, I know.”

“Alright, it looks like it didn’t hit any major organs. Looks like we’ll have to wait until you go into shock and most likely exsanguinate. I’ll have Coran contact Pidge and send for Hunk, and hopefully they’ll be here before you collect.”

Keith made himself comfortable, propping his head up on the pillow, and took a deep, slow breath, “Alright. I’m ready.”

The scream that ripped through Keith’s voice as Allura ripped the blade out of Keith’s flesh was enough to haunt Lance’s dreams for the next few weeks. On instinct, Lance darted over to Keith’s side, hovering over him.

“There. I’ll be right back, please, don’t do anything crazy before I get back. No moving at all. You should have at least twenty minutes.”

“Yes, mom.” Keith said breathlessly, still recovering from the pain.

For the first time, Doctor Altea looked up at Lance, a face full of pity. To him she said, “Watch over him, he’ll explain everything when he gets back.”

“Gets back? Where are you going? He needs attention, he need stitches! Are you just going to let him bleed out?” Lance accused frantically.

The doctor sighed, “It was a bad idea bringing him here, Keith. Talk to him.” With that, she shut the door behind her, leaving the two alone.

Lance ran around the room, flipping through the cabinets and opening drawers. Doctor Altea’s desk was decorated nicely, she obviously spent a lot of time there, seeing as she had a whole drawer dedicated to just snacks. On her desk she had a collage of photo frames of her and other people, mostly an older man with white hair that looked fairly similar to her.

“Lance, what are you doing?” Keith asked, voice dipping as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

Instead of answering, Lance searched some more, until he found what he was looking for-a large pack of gauze.

He tore it out of his package and wasted no time pressing it to Keith’s currently vulnerable side.

Keith hissed in pain, “Shit, Lance, that hurts, stop.”

“I’m not going to let you bleed out! You have to get to surgery or something, is there a nurse button around here?”

Keith tugged Lance’s sleeve, trying to both pull him away and save Lance’s shirt from getting stained with the large amount of blood he was losing, “Lance, it’s fine.” Keith took a ragged breath, “Listen, y-you need to listen to me, I’m not gonna die.”

“I won’t let you!” Lance’s voice began to become shrill.

Keith, however, was completely calm as he said, “This happens all the time, I,” Why was this so hard to explain to Lance? He has told a good handful of people already, why was this so different? “I don’t die. Lance, I collect.”

Lance pressed harder, “What are you talking about?”

“It’s been happening since I was a kid...I get unlucky, I get hurt, but I don’t die. I collect near-death experiences, I can’t die.” Keith decided it was the blood loss that was making this so difficult, “It’s hard-gah-to talk right now. I promise I’ll be fine. We’ll be able to tell you everything afterwards. I just...I just wanted to show you.”

“Show me what? Keith, you aren’t making any sense!”

The door swung open and in walked Doctor Altea, followed by a very short person wearing pajamas, sand-colored hair defying gravity as it stuck out from her head like horns, grumbling, “Goddamn it Keith, can’t you give us some warning when you decide to die on us?” as she started moving around Keith, grabbing all kind of medical equipment.

“Hey, Pidge, nice to see you-” Keith cuts himself off with a hearty cough. He wipes his hands across his lips, afterward, and pulls back to see blood on his fingers, “Fuck,”

“Do you have your log?” She asked, wrapping Keith’s other arm in a cuff, getting ready to take his blood pressure.

“Yeah, yeah, but I left it in the car.”

“Come on, I give you that for a reason.”

“Sorry, I was a bit busy,”

“Whatever, what was your temperature when you last checked it?” Pidge asked, getting out a thermometer, and placing it in Keith’s mouth.

Trying to keep it underneath his tongue while still talking, Keith responded, “Twirty-one.”

Pidge nodded, working around Keith, checking his vitals and marking it down in a small booklet she had kept in her pockets. All of this seemed very...routine. It was slightly panicked, but no one acted like this was an life-or-death situation as they should have been.

No one besides Lance, of course, who was still holding the gauze to Keith’s wound, watching Pidge work around him. He asked, “Is he gonna be okay?”

Pidge didn’t answer him, but took the thermometer out of Keith’s mouth when it beeped, now covered in blood as well. Pidge’s eyebrow flew up when she stated, “96 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Doctor Altea moved around to take a look, “How can that be? It hasn’t been over 40 since the last time? That’s almost the complete normal. Did you die while we were gone?”

Keith shook his head, “No, but…”

Everyone turned to look at Lance. Lance gulped and asked, “Is he going to be okay? What’s going on?”

Pidge rolled her eyes, “I can not believe you brought him here. This is the worst idea ever.”

“I want him to know.” Keith grumbled.

“Whatever,” Pidge walked around to Lance, and smacked his hand away. It wasn’t hard to push Lance out of the way in the state of panic he was in. Pidge inspected the wound, throwing the gauze to the side and she said to Lance, “You aren’t helping him, if anything you are making him suffer longer.”

“What is happening?!” Lance shouted, “Are you TRYING to make him bleed out? You-you guys are doctors! Do your job!”

They all looked shocked at Lance’s outburst for a moment before they resigned to wearing a similar, pitiful expression.

“Is Hunk on his way?” Keith whispered to Doctor Altea.

She nodded, “He should be here any minute, he said he had left shortly after I called Pidge.”

“Good,” Keith mumbled, “Allura, I don’t think...I don’t…”

Keith’s began to trail off, and his breath began to pick up. His eyes averted from Doctor Altea’s face, and with his eyes glassy, he looked towards Lance’s direction.

“We're losing him.” Pidge noted.

“Finally,” the doctor said, and began scrawling on paper.

“Help him!” Lance rushed to Keith’s bedside, not knowing what to do, but knowing that writing on paper was NOT IT.

Doctor Altea pushed Lance back, and he took a few stumbling steps away from Keith, whose breath was slowing to a dangerous heaving, with an unnerving gargle as he began to choke on whatever liquid was forming at the base of his throat.

Lance felt arms wrap around him, pulling him back. He turned his head to see a very familiar face, “Hunk? Tell me what’s going on.”

“Finally,” Doctor Altea repeated, “We only have minutes, if that.”

“Alright,” Hunk turned Lance around so he was facing him, “Hey buddy, this is gonna be hard for you to see, but it has to happen, okay? I understand, I get squeamish every time, especially-” Hunk looked over Lance’s shoulder and winced at the sight of Keith, covered in blood, blood that was dripping onto the floor and out of his mouth. He turned back to Lance, “He’s gonna be okay, he just has to get through this. It’ll only hurt a little bit longer,”

“Here we go!” Pidge shouted, setting up equipment, moving as fast as they could. By now, Keith was hooked up to a heart monitor, which was barely making sound, and Pidge had an IV set up at the ready. 

Keith was mostly non-responsive, but was moving his lips slightly, stuttering. He looked so torn a moment ago, but now seemed like he was falling into peace, into relief. His eyelids lifted for a moment as his head lolled to the side. He looked at Lance as he inhaled a quick breath that did not come back out.

The heart monitor read flat.

Everyone stood still for a quick moment. They looked like they were bracing for something.

Nothing happened.

Panic began.

“How long has it been!” Pidge shouted, starting to put the IV into Keith’s arm, while simultaneously marking her book.

“26 seconds! He’s never been gone this long! He-he’s never been gone!” Allura suddenly grabbed a box beside her desk, filled with packets of blood, and began hooking them up to the machine, “He needs a blood transfusion NOW.”

“K-KEITH!” Lance shouted, being held back by Hunk, “HOW YOU COULD! YOU-YOU STOOD THERE AND WATCHED HIM DIE!”

Doctor Altea bit her lip, then said, “Get him out of here, Hunk.”

“Okay,” Hunk began pushing Lance towards the door, but the other man fought back.

“NO! HUNK!”

“We gotta go,”

Pidge chirped up as she ran around the room, trying to find more supplies, “Count your steps, Hunk! And your time! If Keith wanted to see what will happen, well, he’s gonna find out!”

With that, she pulled out an defibrillator from one of the many cardboard boxes pressed against the wall and started it up.

Lance pushed against Hunk with all his might, but in his panic, he was weak.

When did he start crying?

“HUNK, PLEASE!” Lance sobbed, reaching towards Keith, who had looked like he was completely sunk in on himself. Like he was sleeping in some kind of Halloween costume with bad makeup, sick with the flu and covered in ketchup.

Just. Anything but dead.

“I HAVE TO STAY WITH HIM!”

“I’m sorry, Lance.” Hunk picked up Lance by the waist and began making his way towards the door.

“NO!” Lance screamed, “KEITH!”

As he was carried further and further away, Lance still reached towards Keith, he cried as Pidge and Allura worked over him, inserting him with needles, stuffing gauze in his wound, shocking him, all in order to try to bring him back to life.

Lance cried, sobbed, wailed, “NO!” How could they let this happen? Was it real? Was this some big joke?

No, it wasn’t. The way...the way Keith looked at him in that last moment. That could not be faked, that would never leave his mind.

In a feeble to call out to someone who was not listening, who could not listen, Lance screamed until his throat hurt, as everyone watched around them. Lance didn’t care. Or, he did care. He cared so much that it hurt.

 _“KEITH!_ ” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed, sorry for the mean beginning, I promise it'll get nicer! Just a heads up, although I am certified in CPR/Basic First Aid and am a semi-qualified medic, I am no professional doctor and may get some things wrong. If you have any critiques please let me know!


	2. one caramel macchiato a day keeps the doctors away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mid October, Five Months Earlier

“Uhh, I can get a tall Caramel Macchiato?” Keith asked, fiddling with his wallet.

“Sure thing, name for the order?”

“Keith.”

“Alright, that’ll be 3.93.”

Keith shoved his debit card in the cashier’s hand, then realized his harsh action and gave a small smile, trying to prove he wasn’t as hostile as he came across to be.

The tired, but chipper employee shot a smile back, and asked, “In a rush?”

Keith shrugged and signed the receipt, “You could say that.”

“No worries, I’ll have that right out for you.”

Keith thanked the worker and moved away from the counter to make room for other customers. As he stood and waited, he checked his phone, cringing at the oncoming of messages.

 **Pidge** (3:27pm): WHERE ARE YOU

 **Pidge** (3:27pm):  I'M GONNA SCREAM

 **Pidge** (3:28pm): EVERYONE IS HERE

 **Pidge** (3:28pm): Even CORAN SHOWED UP FOR GOD'S SAKE

Keith sighed, and shoved his wallet in his pocket and typed a response.

 **Me** (3:29pm): I’ll be there I promise, I just stopped for coffee

“Keith?” His name was called by the man behind the counter, holding the coffee.

Keith reached out and nodded, “Thank you.”

“Have a good day,”

“You too.”

 **Pidge** (3:32pm): Hey this is me saving YOUR ASS

Keith walked to his car, a little cherry- red Chevy Sonic, and set his coffee in the cup holder absently as he replied:

 **Me** (3:32pm): Is Shiro there?

 **Pidge** (3:32pm): Shiro has BEEN HERE FOR HALF AN HOUR

“Shit,” Keith muttered, slammed the door shut, shoved the keys in the ignition, and sped out the lot, “Shit, shit, shit,”

 

By the time he reached the hospital, it was nearly four.

“You’re late,” Allura said, crossing her arms as she met Keith in the lobby.

“Hey, only by like, what-”

“Forty-two minutes,” She stately coldly, “Exactly.”

“Sorry,” Keith groaned and followed her through the hospital, “I was getting coffee.”

“You don’t have to spoon feed your bad excuses. Save that meal for someone else.”

That someone else was sitting on a chair in Allura’s office, arms crossed. Or as crossed as you could get when one of your arms was an mechanical 3D printed prosthetic. When the two walked in, he looked up, and once he took notice to who it was, his neutral expression turned into a glare.

“ _Keith,_ ” Shiro growled.

“H-hey, Shiro,” Keith put on a fake smile, “Here, look, I got you a coffee!”

Shiro got to his feet, “What were you thinking? First, you leave for the night, _without telling me where you were going!_ Or even if you were coming back! Which, by the way, you didn’t! Then I have to find out by ALLURA that your tic suddenly changed drastically! What was I supposed to think? That you collected with me knowing? Keith, you know how I feel about that!”

After Shiro calmed down, he pinched the bridge of his nose, “I just wish you would talk to me more Keith, you aren’t the only one affected by this, you know.”

Keith looked down in shame, “I know, I just...I’m sorry, Shiro.”

Shiro sighed and clapped Keith on the shoulder, “I know. Now, you have like a dozen doctors waiting for you, they have needles and they terrify me.”

Keith scoffed, “Tell me about it,”

He began to walk over to the bed before Shiro’s hand gripped his shoulder, then fell, opening and closing his fist as if to say _gimme_.

Once Keith handed over his coffee, Shiro winked, popped the lid off, and began chugging it. Keith laughed and took his place on the bed.

Pidge was looking through her book, peering over the pages with an expression that read I-told-you-so. Keith rolled his eyes and handed over his booklet.

“So your blood glucose levels were at...290 last time you checked?” Pidge affirmed.

Allura walked over, and took a bag that Keith had on his person. Inside was a finger stick blood test and glucose meter, a device Keith had learned to loathe.

“I still am startled you were from hypoglycemia to a hyperglycemia within a matter of hours.” Allura took a hold of Keith’s hand, “Which finger?”

Keith wiggled his index finger.

Allura nodded, “I’m sorry,” she and Keith both winced as she pricked his finger, a droplet of blood left behind.

“I hate that.” Keith pouted as Allura put the droplet on the meter.

“I know, but what must be done must be done.” Allura stated, then reported, “348mg/dl. When was the last time you ate?”

Keith answered, “At two, I wrote it down. Where are Hunk and Coran? Pidge said everyone was here.”

“I only said that so you would hurry up.” Pidge said, writing in her own booklet.

Every time Keith collects, Pidge buys them both a small booklet to jot down everything they need to know about his new tic. Pidge thought it was a good idea to keep the information logged. It also was the joke about Keith ‘collecting’, since he now had a little stack of notebooks on his dresser. They had also turned into something of a diary for him.

They had long since made up their own terms and definitions for the things that happen to Keith. The vital signs that cannot be explained, blood pressure so high that his heart shouldn’t be able to exist, a strange resistance to gravity (like for a whole year, he couldn’t fall down. Not like, he wasn’t clumsy anymore, but his body simply did not respond to the pull of gravity), or being able to go weeks without drinking anything. They called this things ‘tics’, little after effect of the most recent collection.

This time, it was his blood sugar, which was the most annoying one, but easy to blend in. When it first developed, it was extremely low. Now, six months later, it had decided it was bored of that and had taken a sharp 180 and skyrocketed. This change didn’t affect Keith, his blood sugar could be -100 and he wouldn’t care. As of now, the only thing his blood sugar did to him was make his lips tingle a little bit after he hadn’t eaten in awhile. No matter what his condition was, it only bothered him slightly, just enough for him to know that he was living with something that should not be livable. That’s why he had his friends.

Allura Altea was a doctor, trying to make a breakthrough of some sort to put her name out there so she can stop working the night shift and become, as she puts it, a real epidemiologist. Everyone thought that she was trying to live up to her father’s potential. He was famous for his time, even wrote a few books about the body develops over the years, you know, rotting and stuff like that. She wanted to live up to his name.

So, when she met Keith and learned of his condition, she begged him to help study him. Keith said yes, in exchange that he had someone to call on every time he collects. Technically, he didn’t need anyone, he could do it by himself. He had been for a while. But it was better with a doctor around, someone who knew what they were doing, who could ease the pain, help him afterwards, quickly find out his next tic.

Someone so he wouldn’t be alone.

That was probably the worst part about collecting, going through it alone. The stillness of not being able to help it, because you know what’s going to happen is going to happen. You just have to sit there and wait for it. Wait through the pain, never knowing when it’s finally all going to fade away, unsure if you will really wake up this time.

Collecting near-death experiences got scary after a while.

“Anyway,” Pidge said, finishing up checking all of Keith’s vitals and writing them down, “Coran is out of town this weekend and Hunk is out with his _girlfriend._ ”

“Did he finally get that date?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah, he’s only been talking about her for like. Five years. I didn’t know if I had to go another with this guy talking to him about how ‘cool her rock collection’ was.”

Pidge and Hunk were both students at the local university where Keith attends as well. Pidge works to be a technician writing on her thesis about some fancy kind of electronic stethoscope or something (he honestly had no idea, sometimes Pidge will talk about it but he immediately zones out). Pidge was the local genius, attending her junior year of college at 18 years old and working on a _thesis_. Keith doubted that she had even been asked to write one, she simply loved research, making discoveries and answering questions. Keith appreciated Pidge because Pidge worked fast and hard. Pidge found out about Keith on her own, and pleaded that he would let her study his strange body functions. He agreed, as long as she agreed to be on call.

Hunk found out recently, about a year ago. He’s working to be a pediatric nurse, working with kids and all that. He was shadowing under Allura for some on the job training hours he had to complete. Not quite in the same field, but Hunk knew Pidge, Pidge knew Allura, and Hunk really really needed those hours and no other certified doctors had gotten back to him. It was going well until one night a shaggy haired boy who had been poisoned was brought in by Pidge, demanding to be seen immediately by Dr. Altea and Dr. Altea only. Long story short, that was the first time Hunk saw Keith collect a new near-death experience. After that, he was in on it, agreeing to help in any way he could, applying for an internship underneath Allura, not asking for anything in return. Soon enough, Keith began to find relief in Hunk’s presence, especially during the painful moments. As Keith slipped away, Hunk would be there, talking to him about something random, what he did at school today, a crazy story at the hospital, or a new restaurant that they should stop by the next day. He soothed Keith’s mind and made dying not so lonely.

“Well, I’m happy for him.” Allura said, “Okay, Keith, we were _going_ to give you glucose tablets today to see if that did anything for your blood sugar, but now that it is high, that won’t do anything to help it. I don’t want to give you insulin if I don’t have to, you may have the symptoms, but we all know you do not have diabetes. So for now, I will send you on your way, but you keep logging your meals to the exact carbohydrate and checking your sugar three times a day.”

Keith leaned his head back and groaned, “I hate this tic, it’s so tedious.”

“Keith Kogane, you should count yourself lucky!” Allura crossed her arms, “There are people who have to do this every day of their life but, unlike you, if they don’t then they may very well die for good!”

Bashfully, Keith nodded. She had a point, he really had no room to complain, “Sorry, you’re right. Same time next week?”

“Yes, and if you could, don’t do anything stupid. Next week, I only have two night shifts, do not ruin my beauty sleep.”

“Yes, princess,” Keith teased and slid off the bed, packing away the kit Allura gave him, usually used for diabetic patients.

Shiro stood up as Keith approached him, “Ready to go?”

Keith nodded, “Yeah, I’m beat.”

“Don’t think you are getting out of explaining to me where you were last night.”

Pidge walked over and handed Keith his copy of the green booklet they carried, “Good fucking luck, Keith. I gotta go, Matt convinced Dad to NOT make peas tonight and I’m not gonna miss it.”

“What’s with your family and eating peas all the time?” Keith asked.

“I have no idea, my dude. No idea.” With that, Pidge grabbed her backpack and went down the hall.

“Tell Matt I say hi!” Shiro called after, to which Pidge replied with: “I will!”

Keith and Shiro walked their own way to their cars before they went their separate ways home, driving nearly dangerously as they basically raced each other the whole way.

Shiro had been the first one to know, but him and Keith did not grow up together. Keith didn’t meet Shiro until he was twelve years old, right after his third collection.

Right before Shiro’s own first near-death experience.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not diabetic, so I do not have first hand experience, but my younger brother is. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Next chapter we get to learn some backstory! And we find Lance! Stay tuned.


	3. trypanophobia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just because you're not scared of something, doesn't mean you have to like it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: descriptions of a fire and car accident

Keith’s parents are dead, which is easy for him to say allowing he doesn't think about it thoroughly. It's not the words that aggrieve, it's the memories that lay behind them.

They died in a car accident on their way to visit family. The car flipped three times flattening itself at the bottom of a hill. It took the cops two hours to find the wreck. They found one parent in a ditch twenty feet away, and one whose head dented the dashboard on impact.

Even though the couple had a child, and all the relatives reported the son to be on the trip with them as well, no one else was found at the scene. At least, the boy wasn't there when they arrived. 

Keith had died in that crash as well, but only for a moment. He remembers the feeling. The disfiguring, scream-worthy pain. It had felt like there was glass in every pore, his legs must have been turned inside out by how badly they stung with each pulse of his heart. He remembers how long it took until he stopped breathing.

He fell asleep for only a moment before he woke back up, clearer, stronger, alive. Nothing hurt anymore, he wasn’t bleeding. He felt completely fine.

So he ran, he didn’t look at his parents, he couldn’t. He grabbed his backpack, kicked the window out, and took off.

Running away meant living on his own, and he didn’t know the first thing about taking care of himself or how to survive. He stole, he begged, he hid. Within a span of a year, he died two more times, once from heat stroke and once after getting struck by a snake. Then, he found his way home. 

By the time he turned 13, Keith Kogane was unrecognizable from the young boy he had been a year and a half ago. But when he arrived at his uncle’s door, there was no doubt of who he was.

Keith's family were travelers, always moving, and Keith had never met his family on his father's side. He only saw pictures and received letters for his birthdays. He had a letter from a 'Takashi Shirogane' in his backpack, with an address on it. He took buses and walked until he found it. Shiro was Keith's father's younger brother, by quite a lot. Shiro was only 19 when Keith found him, and within the week, he was going to court to sign adoption papers.

Keith never told Shiro about his almost-deaths of the past year, he didn’t understand them himself, why worry his uncle? The young man already had a lot on his shoulders.

For a while, it was peaceful, happy, _normal_. Keith started going to school again, had a bit of discipline issues, but not enough for anyone to dismiss his talents.

Then, eight months after Keith died from a snakebite, his house caught on fire.

Obviously, the universe had something against him. How was one person so unlucky that they came face to face with death four times in the span of two years?! The day the fire started, Shiro wasn’t home. He was at work. It was an electrical fire, started by the heater in the living room. No one could have predicted it.

Keith wished he could have, maybe that would have stopped Shiro from trying to save him.

He was trapped in his room, the roof was caving in, the room was filling with smoke, Keith was hoping the smoke inhalation would get him before the heat did. Sadly, Shiro got to him first.

Shiro walked into the burning house, screaming Keith’s name. In the moment of fear, Keith shot up with hope, maybe he wouldn't have to die this time! He could survive like anyone else.

Then, just as he made eye contact with Shiro, the roof came tumbling down on top of him. Always concerned for everyone before himself and still awake as he struggled, he yelled at Keith to “Go! Run! Get out of here!”

Keith stood up and went to walk towards him, but he was burned and breathing heavily. He couldn’t make it, not until.

In a moment of impulse, Keith did what he knew how to. He died.

By doing that, he walked into the nearest set of flames, and breathed in.

Shiro was screaming at Keith, and Keith was screaming because of the pain, but the moment passed quickly, and Keith was gone.

When he got back, he was happy there were no permanent damages, and quickly, he got to his feet, and ran to Shiro.

“Keith, how-you just-”

With all his might, Keith dragged Shiro out of the house, luckily he got some help when the fire department finally showed up.

At the end of it all, Keith was not affected by heat for three years, so long summertime heat waves. Shiro lost an arm and had his own set of scars. Keith told Shiro about uncanny inability to die.

After that, Shiro became more protective over Keith, doing his best to fight Murphy’s Law that plagued Keith’s existence. Putting himself in harm’s way to avoid another collection. And still to this day does.

But it didn’t make his nagging any less annoying.

“We are talking about this, Keith.” Shiro insisted, hanging his coat on the hanger by the front door.

Keith sighed, “Listen, I know that you want to protect me from collecting, but it’s fine. You can’t stop every bad thing from happening to me!”

Keith thought that would end the conversation, however, as he often was, he was wrong.

“How can you say it like that? ‘Collecting’. Like it’s some kind of rock or stamp collection, Keith, you _die_. That’s it! Or, if you want to be specific, you almost die and then you magically heal! Whatever it is, Keith, it’s not normal!”

“You don’t need to tell me it’s not normal, Shiro! I know! I’ve been dealing with it for the past decade!”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Shiro ran a hand through his hair, “It’s not okay. I'm trying to help you, you shouldn't have to go through this all the time."

Keith looked at Shiro. He knew what he meant, there was a trauma to it. Something about it that stays in your mind, makes you remember every single moment in detail. Perhaps it didn’t repetitively run through his head, but he knew it did for Shiro. Keith often forgot that he wasn’t they only person here who had almost touched death then came back.

Keith knew Shiro felt bad. Shiro thought himself weak because he had trouble dealing with the memory of the fire when it seemed that Keith should be the one broken up. Keith didn’t think that though, he never did. Everyone coped differently. No one was stronger or better than the other with how they dealt with trauma.

“I know,” Keith said, “I promise I’m not trying to die. I try to avoid it. I’ve been doing good lately.”

Shiro relaxed, “I know and I see that. Thank you for working with me. I guess I just get worried sometimes.”

Keith laughed, “Stop worrying so much, you are gonna get wrinkles.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna get a giant wrinkle on my forehead that spells ‘Keith’.”

They both laughed. Then Keith said, “I have a lot of homework…?”

“Go ahead, just remember what I said.”

“I will.”

“I love you, don’t forget that. I want to keep you around.”

“I love you too, Shiro.” With that, Keith walked down the hall to his room, where he set his bag down on the bed.

He sat himself down on his mattress, covered in his maroon colored comforter and a purple quilt his great aunt had gifted to him when he got back all those years ago. He checked his phone, holding it up above his face, knowing that he would probably drop it like a fool.

He had a few notifications, emails from school mostly, and one text message.

 **Lance From Bio** (4:02pm): hey LP!!! R we still meeting up today???

‘LP’ stood for Lab Partner. This guy called him that so often that Keith begun to doubt he even knew his name in the first place.

Keith groaned. He really did not want to do any type of school work today, it was Tuesday, his off day from school. Having to meet up with Dr. Altea and Pidge was bad enough, but now having to go have an awkward study session with some kind of stranger? Worse.

He thought for a moment of the list of excuses that he could think of to get out of it. He could say he was sick, that wouldn’t be a complete lie. He was usually ‘sick’. Or that he had a doctor’s appointment, because, you know, he _had_ a doctor’s appointment, just previously.

As he was about to send Lance a terrible excuse, Shiro knocked on the door.

“Hey,” said his uncle’s muffled voice through the door, “Are you doing anything tonight? Ami wants to come over and visit while she’s in town.”

Keith deleted his message to Lance, and said to Shiro, “Sorry, I’m busy! I have to meet with my lab partner for Biology!”

“Are you lying?”

“No!” Keith was not as he was currently typing a message:

 **Me** (4:18pm): Yeah, where and when?

“You always make me deal with her by myself.” Shiro pouted.

“That’s cause you are so good at it.”

 **Lance** (4:20pm): I dunno? We could just go to the school? You don’t have a dorm, do you?

 **Lance** (4:20pm): also

 **Lance** (4:20pm): bLAZE IT

 **Me** (4:21pm): No, I live with my uncle. But yeah, the school is fine, student center?

 **Lance** (4:22pm): Sounds good see u at 5?

 **Me** (4:22pm): yeah

Keith pulled himself to his feet, and rethought his choice. Was Ami that bad? Would it be worth having to drive the half hour and interact with an awkward almost-stranger in order to avoid his mushy, judgmental relative?

The answer was clearly stated as Keith walked out the door a moment later.

 

He got there a little late (he forgot to bring his kit and had to drive back to grab it) and Lance had already claimed a table. Since it was late on a Tuesday,  only a few other people lingering in the center. The student center was a nice place, it had an area filled with tables where students accumulated to do homework or eat in between classes. It was also connected to the book/gift shop and small cafe. Keith did his best not to spend any money when he came here. He often failed.

Keith walked over and pulled out the chair besides Lance, who had all of his work out, his computer on, notebook open, pencils out, but was very obviously playing on his phone.

“Hey,” Keith said, setting his bag down.

Lance looked up, “Hey! What’s up?”

Keith shrugged and took a seat, “Nothing really. When is this project due?”

“Uhh, in December I think?” Lance answered, “I was just about to get some food, you want anything?”

Keith nodded, his goal of not spending money unfeasible as always, “Yeah, I’ll go in a second, I just have to…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, trailing off as he pulled out his small kit, unzipping the side and pulling out his little hell needles. Staring at his fingers, he played eenie meenie miney mo to choose which one was ongoing the latest stabbing.

Right before he was about to stick his finger, he glanced up and saw that Lance was watching him. Would he be grossed out by it? What if he was afraid of needles? One of the first times that they were at one of Keith's appointments, one member of the group nearly passed out because of the needles. Like, had to walk out of the room kinda freaked. You probably think it was Hunk, right? Nope, Hunk is a kid doctor, he has to be cool around needles. 

It was totally Pidge. She's fine now, but would totally kill Keith if he brought it up. In fact, to make sure everyone knew that she was fine with it, Keith thought that Pidge purposely was the one to stab him when need be. Either that or she's taking her aggression out on him. Maybe both. Probably both. 

Lance asked, “What type?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, sorry,” Lance apologized quickly, “My little brother-he has type one diabetes. He carries a kit around like that. I shouldn’t have assumed if, if that’s not the case.”

Keith gave a small smile, “No, it’s fine. But yeah. I have the same. Same thing.”

Ugh, now he felt worse. He lied about have a serious condition! To someone who is close to someone with that same condition! Seemed pretty asshole-y of him.

Lance nodded, “Ah. Cool, I mean. Not cool, but, uh, anyway. I’ll wait for you.”

Keith really wished he wouldn’t, but got on with it anyway. He pricked his pinky, and squeezed the skin so the blood with form enough so he could easily swipe it on the meter. He stuck his finger in his mouth as he waited for the machine to tell him the news.

His eyebrows flew up when the machine read his blood glucose levels at 114mg/dl. Which, for someone without diabetes, was in range. Not too high, not too low.

“Everything okay?” Lance asked.

Keith nodded, “Yeah, I’m, uh, I’m at a good number right now. Everything is cool.” He marked the notes in his book and then stood up and followed Lance to the cafe.

Where he expected silence, he found none. Lance was talkative. He charmed the cafeteria workers, and left smiles behind him. He chatted with everyone he came across, from the person serving his food, the cashier or the person who was checking out the salads with him. While this, he still carried a steady conversation with Keith.

By the time they got back to their table, Lance had told Keith all the names of his siblings, their ages and what their favorite thing to do is and Keith hadn’t said a word.

“What about you? Any siblings?” Lance asked, tearing off the plastic wrap around his Italian Hero.

Keith shook his head, taking a bite of his nachos (with all the toppings by the way, Keith wasn’t a wimp).

“You can have one or two of mine if you want,” Lance chuckled, “So. Homework.”

Keith nodded and brushed leftover crumbs off his hands, “Yeah, we have to pick an injury and describe how it happens, how often it happens and how the body reacts, how it is fixed, how to avoid it, blah blah.”

“Alright. It’s a presentation, right?”

Keith nodded, “Do you just want to do powerpoint?”

“What, NO!” Lance looked offended, “You are doing a presentation with Lance McClain Martinez!”

“Yeah. I know. The teacher assigned us partners.” Keith deadpanned.

“What I _mean,_ is that this is gonna be AWESOME! We can’t JUST do a powerpoint.”

“So you are saying that a powerpoint is still on the table.”

Lance groaned, “How about we pick a injury first? Then I’ll get my creativity box turning and think of how to get us an A+ AND  a round of applause.”

Keith rolled his eyes but grabbed the rubric from Lance's scattered mess of papers on the table, “Okay. So here’s the list: Injury to the bones-”

“Nah, everyone will pick that.”

“Deep cut of the flesh,”

“Same as the other.”

“Burns.”

“Maybe.”

“Inhalation of water into the lungs,” Keith said.

“Like drowning?”

“Yeah, then poisoning, animal bites, injury to the eyes, frostbite, and heat stroke.” Keith finished the list.

“This has gotta be the most depressing project ever. Where is this list from?”

Keith turned the paper over, “Apparently it’s like the most common injuries that children get.”

“Oh THAT’S better. So what you do think? I’m thinking either burns, drowning, or heat stroke.” Lance pondered.

Keith cringed. Out of all the ones, Lance had to pick those particular three. Well, Keith couldn’t blame Lance that much. There were only two things on that list that Keith hadn’t been sentenced to face.

Keith said, “How about injury to the eyes?”

“What? No way,” Lance shook his head, “That’s so vague, what does it mean? Chemicals in the eye? Being impaled in the eye? Also, eyeballs are gross, next.”

“Fine, then frostbite?”

Lance pondered, “That could work. Maybe it’ll snow when we present, that’ll be cool.”

For the rest of the session, Lance and Keith talked back and forth, bickering about Lance’s crazy ideas, chatting about things that had nothing to do with frostbite, until they both decided it was time to call it a night; mostly because the student center was shutting down.

“See you tomorrow?” Lance asked.

Keith nodded, “See you,”

And they went their separate ways.

Depending of course, how you define ‘separate ways’.  

After they saw each other the next morning, they started texting. First it was about the project, then, over the span of the next few days, turned into a casual occurrence. They met up one more time that week. To work on the project of course, but they barely got a thing accomplished. Soon, Keith’s day were full of random texts from Lance, most of them consisting of the other boy acting a fool. 

 **Lance** (3:31pm) ur cars name is red???

 **Me** (3:32pm) yes, is there are problem with that?

 **Lance** (3:32pm) Yes!! Your car is RED! THat’s the most boring thing ever

 **Me** (3:33pm) Fine, what’s your cars name, Mr. Creative?

 **Lance** (3:34pm) well my bby is named ~El Coche Azul~

 **Me** (3:35pm) …

 **Me** (3:35pm) THAT’S JUST “THE BLUE CAR” IN SPANISH

 **Lance** (3:36pm) DON’T ANTAGONIZE ME

“You sure do look smiley today, Keith!” Coran commented.

Keith looked up from his phone for the first time in five minutes, “What? Oh, yeah, I guess.”

Coran was the next to know about Keith after Allura. Keith had been in Allura’s care since he was 17 years old, she had watched him die three times since then. Working as a front desk nurse, Coran was concerned with the boy who came in without insurance or written reason, but didn’t pry. Not until Keith refused to see another doctor when he came to the hospital one day. Then, he demanded answers. They took a while to tell him, but Allura knew her father was close friends with Coran, and convinced Keith to let them in on their little secret. Since then, Coran has helped them keep their operation on the down-low, messing with Keith’s documents and data, since he had access to all the computers in the hospital. He did some impressive work for someone who only works as a desk clerk. They began to wonder about what he did in his early years to get to good at forging fake hospital records. They were also afraid to ask.

Pidge grumbled as she sat one of Allura’s chairs, feet kicked up on the side of the hospital bed, “Yeah, wish he would pay attention though. I’ve asked you three times about these damn inconsistencies in your sugar."

“Inconsistencies?” Allura asked, walking around to take a look, as did Coran.

“Yeah look,” Pidge lifted up the book to show them, “His sugar hasn’t dropped below 150 since his flip, EXCEPT in these three separate occasions, all seemingly unrelated, when his sugar lowers dramatically. And not like ‘we’re back at hypoglycemia’ again, I’m talking completely normal, healthy twenty year old male blood sugar. It even syncs up to what he ate, which has NEVER happened, since food intake doesn’t seem to affect him.”

“So what?” Hunk asked, sitting on the hospital bed beside Keith, “His tic just...went away?”

“Yes!” Pidge exclaimed, obviously annoyed with the skew in data.

Coran held the book, “Keith, do you remember what you were doing at these times? It looks like it was 5pm last Tuesday, 2pm last Saturday, and 11am yesterday.”

Keith thought for a moment and shrugged, “I think I was studying with my lab partner all of those times?”

Allura and Pidge perked up, “All three?”

Keith shook his head at them, they loved consistencies. As they went to grab their notepads, Keith quickly texted Lance back.

 **Me** (3:39pm): That’s what you get for being a hypocrite.

“Tell us what you can remember about those meetings.” Allura asked, ready to write.

Keith thought, “I don’t know? On tuesday, we met in the student center, I had a caesar salad and a...pepsi, I think? Saturday we met at my house, we didn’t eat anything. Well, we had a bag of popcorn, but I only ate a little of it. And yesterday we had lunch together, I had orange chicken and chow mein.”

“Ooo,” Hunk swooned, “Did you go to the new Chinese restaurant by campus?”

“Yeah, it was actually really good.”

“I know right? And really cheap.”

“Yeah, it was awesome.” Keith agreed.

“Yeah, yeah, food, yum, anything else?” Pidge asked.

Keith shrugged, unsure what else to report.

“Who were you with?” Coran asked, “Anyone who knows?”

Keith shook his head, “No, no one knows besides you guys. He thinks I have Type 1 Diabetes.”

“Try to keep it that way,” Shiro commented, leaning on the door, keeping watch, “We don’t want anyone knowing that doesn’t need to.”

Keith nodded in agreement, “I’ll be careful. His name is Lance.”

Hunk tilted his head, “McClain-Martinez?”

“Yeah, you know him?”

“Totally! He’s my roommate! We just moved in together last month. That’s so cool that you know him, we’ve been friends since elementary school, he’s an awesome guy.”

Pidge rolled their eyes, “When he’s not being a giant flirt.”

“He’s alright,” Keith said before phone buzzed in his hand.

Pidge squinted, “Was that him?”

Resisting the urge to check his phone, Keith said, “N-no.”

The two glared at each other in silence, a quiet stare down before Pidge snatched Keith’s phone, moving fast enough to avoid Keith’s grabs.

“Pidge, give that back!” Keith jumped off the bed and went to chase the thief down.

“‘ _You’re just jealous because I’m the creative one_ ’” Pidge read aloud, in a low, mocking voice, then reverting back to her regular squeal,  “Oh my GOD, you _were_  texting him! AND YOU WERE FLIRTING!”

“Pidge!” Keith snatched his phone and went back to the bed, pouting.

Hunk rubbed his back, “Aw, I think it’s neat. Lance really is cool, maybe I can invite him to one of our group nights?”

Keith uncrossed his arms slightly, “Yeah?”

“Do you think it’s a good idea to let someone in who doesn’t know?” Shiro asked, cautious as always.

Hunk shrugged, “Sure, we’ll just have to be careful of what we say. I think it’ll be nice. It’s been just us for a while, it’ll be nice for someone else to join our squad, don’t you think?”

Shiro nodded, “As long as we are careful.”

Coran grinned, “Excellent! I’ll be sure to bring extra dip this time around! Enough for everyone.”

Everyone grimaced. No one had the heart to tell him that his ‘dip’ actually tasted like snot and looked like it too. Behind his back, everyone referred it it as ‘food goo’.

“Ha ha, of course, Coran.” Allura fake smiled, “My house this Saturday night, correct?”

Everyone agreed. They hung out together every couple of weeks, but more often in separate groups. Going to movies, out to meals, just hanging out as friends.

Having ‘group nights’ was, if you would believe, Keith’s idea. He hated the fact that when they usually saw each other, it was about him. He hated the attention being on him. With these meetings, he could melt into the background and listen to the conversations, instead of sitting on a hospital bed in the middle of the room.

“So what are we doing this weekend?” Hunk asked, “Movie night? Board games? Card games? Video games? If we are inviting Lance, let me tell you, he’s the middle child of five, he has LOADS of games at his house, he’ll bring the best ones.”

“M-maybe we could do a movie night?” Keith suggested suddenly, but blushed when the room full of people shot him a look, “We haven’t done one in a while, and since we don’t want to accidentally talk about my, uh, thing, it’ll make it easier since we don't chat as much?”

Shiro conceded, “That’s a good idea, Keith.”

If Shiro and Keith agreed on something, everyone felt obligated to comply. Allura clapped her hands together, “Alright. Movie night at my house, this Saturday, 6pm, bring snacks. Now, can we get back to work? Enough stalling.”

Keith groaned, but obliged, holding his hand out. “Let’s get this over with.”

As the session began and ended, Keith kept a close eye on his phone, re-reading the same message over and over.


	4. what do you meme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a meme for every situation if you try hard enough

Once they finished, Hunk and Pidge went home Keith and Shiro. Soon, Shiro had to leave to attend a meeting at the college. He worked as an financial aid counselor but was completing some classes at the college as well to be work up and be a professor. Before the fire, he wanted to be an police officer, and was almost there. But he had to take so much time off to recover, and after everything, he was no longer qualified. So, he had to make a quick change in career. 

Before he left, he put in an order for pizza for the kids.

“Aw, thanks DAD!” Pidge cooed as Shiro shoved his wallet in his pockets.

“I’m not your dad.”

“Dad,” Hunk played along, “You shouldn’t talk to your child like that.”

“I’m not your dad either.”

Keith shook his head, focused on the video game he was playing with Pidge, who was currently winning, “And you definitely aren’t my dad.” Keith stated.

Shiro grabbed his keys, “Don’t forget to lock the door after the pizza gets here, son.”

“YOU AREN’T MY-” Keith was cut off as the door fell closed behind Shiro.

Setting a bomb off in the game, Pidge scoffed, “He’s basically your dad and you know it.”

“Yeah, but I can’t let HIM know that I know it,” Keith responded.

“Whatever,” Pidge said, sitting cross-legged in front of the couch where Hunk and Keith lounged, “Anyway, did you ever text Lance back?”

Keith tried to focus intently on the video game, “No.”

“Wow you’re such a prick.”

“I was-!” Keith shot two animated soldiers as he yelled, “Going to! I was just busy. You should know, you were there!”

Hunk nodded, “He’s right, he was busy getting prodded by you.”

“Thank you, Hunk!”

“You’re just embarrassed,” Pidge teased, “You got caught texting your crush.”

“He’s not my crush! I barely know the guy.” Keith changed the conversation, “Why are you picking on me? Hunk was texting Shay the whole time.”

“Whoa, man, I just helped you out and you push me under the bus? Not cool.” Hunk complained.

“How are you and Rock Lady anyway?” Pidge asked.

Hunk visibly blushed, smiling, “We’re...we’re okay.”

“Okay?” Pidge asked, “You’ve been on two dates in the last week and all we get is okay? What’s the status? Are you two like together-together now, are you getting married, or does she smell like feet, come on! Where’s the info?”

“She does not smell like _feet_ for one. She smells like...nature. Of flowers, all of the flowers, I couldn’t name just one. Of mildew after an early morning spring rain.” Hunk mused.

Keith and Pidge took their eyes off the screen to give Hunk a look.

“Dude.” Keith said.

“Okay, I really like her alright? Like, a lot, a lot. I don’t want to mess it up. So I haven’t actually. Asked to be her boyfriend yet.” Hunk sighed.

“Hunk,” Keith said, “Any girl would be lucky to have you. You won’t mess it up.”

“Yeah,” Pidge agreed, “Just go do it. If she says no then she doesn’t deserve you.”

Hunk smiled, “Thanks guys, I know, I just get nervous around her. Like my heart is beating at 200 beats per minute or something. And, I’m gonna be honest here, I kind of already talked to Lance about this. He, uh, gave me some good advice.”

“Do NOT use any of his dumb pickup lines on her.” Pidge warned, bringing their attention back to the game, “It will not work.”

Hunk laughed, “No, not like that. He just sent me a huge block of text when I vented to him.” Hunk scrolled through his phone and brought up a message that went down several screen swipes, mostly just Lance telling Hunk how beautiful, amazing, and lovely he was. And how Shay would be swept off her feet by him, a ‘big hunk of man’, and Lance basically planning their wedding.

Keith squinted at the message, “It says he sent that only two minutes after your last message.”

“Yeah, I have a feeling he had that saved in his notes for a while. He probably just copied and pasted. He’s a good friend.”

“He called you a ‘cinnamon roll’ six times.”

“Like I said, he’s good.”

Keith shrugged and went back to his game. Hunk, however, nudged Keith lightly with his elbow, “So I asked Lance about Saturday already,” Hunk said.

Eyes averting to his phone, unanswered message still hidden behind the black screen, Keith mumbled, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Hunk asked, “He said he might not be able to make it.”

“Oh.” Keith willed away the disappointment in his voice. It did not work.

“Mhmm,” Hunk hummed, “Then I said that you would be there.”

“O-oh?” Keith willed away the hope in his voice. It did not work.

“Yep,” Hunk stated, popping the ‘p’, “He said he would figure out a way to get there, and that he would bring chips and salsa.”

“Oh. Cool,” Keith willed away the excitement in his voice.

It did not work.

“Yay, some dip that isn’t Coran’s food goo,” Pidge cheered.

“Yeah, cool.” Keith muttered, “I love salsa.”

Pidge looked up at Keith with squinted eyes and a mocking, judgmental smile of their face, expressing _what the fuck is wrong with you_ kinda way.

The doorbell rang and Keith leaped up, savoring the escape. He answered the door, signed the receipt and brought the boxes of pizza inside.

The other two paused the game and rushed to the kitchen.

“Wait,” Pidge asked, “Does anyone know what toppings he ordered?”

With great fret, they threw open the boxes.

One was pepperoni.

The other was pineapple.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO,” Pidge wailed.

“Yum,” Hunk grinned, taking two slices of each, completely content with the choices.

Pidge groaned, and settled with a slice of pepperoni, grumbling as she ate, “Why is your uncle such a meme.”

“I don’t know, Pidge,” Keith closed his eyes and sighed, “I don’t know.”

 

Speaking of bad memes, the night of the group hangout, Shiro had to more or less drag Keith out of his bed when it was time to leave. He tried to convince his uncle that he was sick (from the pineapple pizza, which he hadn’t let go) or that he had homework. But if his uncle was anything, it was strong and persuasive. So, although half an hour late, they pulled up to Allura’s house nevertheless.

If you have ever seen a mansion in your life, Allura’s house was a step down from that. It was two stories, but was spread over the space of two regular-sized houses. Exactly six bathrooms, five bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, lounge area, family room, and one office. Everything was always clean, color theme sporting a light blue and soft pink. She recently painted all the rooms new colors, to make the house her own. It had been her parent’s house before they passed away. She received quite the inheritance, but she did her best not to make it known by her appearance and actions. She wanted to make her own success.

Still, she kept the house. She used it to host parties, and did so often. It made sense, who would want that big house to only keep it to themselves?

Well, she wasn’t all alone.

When the opened the door, four dogs came running up to the door, panting and crawling over each other to greet the new guests.

Immediately, Shiro went to his knees and greeted the puppies, cooing and trying to pet all of them at once.

“You only come over for my dogs, don’t you?” Allura said, walking into the room and crossing her arms.

“You are completely correct,” Shiro grinned as the largest dog, an fully grown (perhaps overgrown) English Mastiff, licked the length of his face.

Allura walked over, shooing the dogs away, “Platt! Get down! Chuchule, I’m talking to you too!”

Eventually, the dogs tore away from Shiro, who was left in sitting on the floor. He picked himself and wiped the slobber off his face with his sleeve, “Is everyone already here?”

“Yes, they are in the kitchen. We haven’t decided what to watch yet, we were waiting for you.” Allura looked pointedly at the pair.

“You can blame Keith for our tardiness,” Shiro accused.

Allura pursed his lips, holding back a smile, “Is that so…”

Keith glared and stomped away from the two, avoiding any anticipated teasing. The smallest dog, a tiny corgi, pit-pattered after Keith.

In the kitchen, everyone had already settled in. Hunk was leaning over his plate of food, grinning at the conversation. Pidge had a cup in her hand and she appeared to be arguing. Coran was making his own plate, and it looked that even he wasn’t touching the green dip taking up space on the counter.

Lance was there, and didn’t look at all uncomfortable for someone sitting in a room of people he hardly knew. If anything, he seemed at ease, leading the conversation.

“Hey Keith,” Hunk waved when he look a seat at the counter; which was an island table in the middle of the huge kitchen.

“Keith!” Lance cheered, cutting himself off, “I’m so glad that you are here, now you can break the tie.”

“There is no tie! It’s two to one!” Pidge complained.

Lance ignored them and turned to Keith, “Okay, what’s worse, having to eat a cup of worms or five beetles?”

“Gross,” Keith cringed, “Why?”

“Because Pidge and Coran are both with the beetles, and I need more people on my side.” Lance pleaded.

Keith thought for a moment, “I don’t know, a cup of worms is a lot.”

“See!” Pidge exclaimed, “Five beatles isn’t that much.”

“But the _crunch Pidge. The crunch._ ” Lance emphasised, curling his fingers.

Keith spoke up, “He has a point, the crunch makes it worse. I’ll go with the worms.”

“HA!”

Pidge rolled her eyes, “That doesn’t mean you win, it means we’re tied.”

Keith turned to Hunk, “Why aren’t you playing?”

Hunk shook his head, “Nuh uh, I don’t play these games with Lance, they are 1) gross and 2) I don’t think I could deal with the aftermath of not agreeing with him and Pidge, they would crucify me.”

Once Shiro and Allura stepped in, Lance was on them too.

“Hey, pretty lady and pretty boy,” Lance winked, “Five beatles or can of worms?

Shiro glanced at Keith out of the corner of his eye with a smirk as he answered, “Uh, neither?”

Coran cupped his hands around his mouth and whisper-shouted, “Pick the beetles, Allura! The beatles!”

Allura shook her head, “I’m going to stick with Shiro and say neither as well. Perhaps if the bugs were well-cooked, I may think about it, but I will not amuse the idea of eating raw bugs and developing an illness.”

“You’re such a doctor, Allura.” Pidge pouted.

“I didn’t get all that student debt for nothing, Pidge.” She mused, “Now, let’s go into the main room and see if we can all agree on a movie to watch.”

Pidge scoffed, “Here we go.”

It took them half an hour to choose a movie, arguing back and forth from Star Wars to The Avengers. It didn’t help that Allura somehow had the world’s largest collection of movies. Finally, Coran, Lance, and Shiro played rock-paper-scissors for their choice. After three riveting, lip-biting rounds, Coran won with Princess Bride.

Allura and Hunk went to the kitchen to make popcorn for the group while the previews played, and everyone began claiming seats. Pidge took her regular bean-bag chair, Coran snatched the recliner from Shiro, and Shiro settled on the long, black leather couch. Keith had made a home in the floral love seat to the side of the room, his legs kicked out over the length. It wasn’t the best angle to watch the TV, but it usually kept him out of the conversations and to himself. He had been there most of the night.

And he had been peaceful there until the moment that he felt someone swatting at his feet. He picked up his legs as Lance took the spot. Lance sent him a smile as he settled in and Keith realized how weird he must look, as he had not yet changed his position and was oddly sitting with his legs pulled up against his chest, still facing Lance. With an amused smile, Lance tugging Keith’s feet and put them back in the position they had been in, resting on the opposite arms rest and spread across the couch.

Except this time they were slightly hovering over Lance’s lap.

From across the room, Pidge was smirking.

“Hey Lance,” Pidge grinned, “Got anymore of those would-you-rather questions?”

“Oh do I,” Lance announced, “Okay, would you rather have to listen to one song over and over for the rest of your life or only be able to listen to one song a year?”

Coran answered first, “One song a year. I would surely go insane and hate the song after so many listens.”

Pidge thought, “Well, he didn’t say that we had to listen to that songs constantly. It’s not like it’s stuck in our heads 24/7 right?”

“Who knows,” Lance said, “Oo, wait here’s a third option, you can listen to any song, whenever you want to, but once you listen to it, you can never hear it again. It’s gone, poof, as if it never existed.”

“That’ll be awful,”  Shiro shook his head, “All of these would be awful, why do we have to choose?”

“That’s the point of the game!” Lance said, “You have to pick which one would suck _less._ ”

“One song forever,” Pidge said.

“One song a year,” Coran retorted.

“Keith?” Lance said, “Which would you choose?”

Keith was quite busy focusing on how Lance had moved enough so he was leaning over Keith’s legs. Enough that his knees were tucked between Lance’s chest and arms, and were very, very warm.

“Uh, what Coran said.” Keith stumbled out, not knowing what Coran had said.

“Ha ha!” Coran celebrated, “Another win for Coran, Coran, The Gorgeous Man!”

Pidge rolled her eyes, “Whatever, you can’t _win_ at this game.”

Coran laughed, “Maybe _you_ can’t!”

“NEXT!” Pidge shouted.

Lance placed his hand on his chin in thought, his elbow resting softly on Keith’s shin, “Okay, how about a classic one. Fire or water?”

“What do you mean?” Pidge asked.

“Like, you know, how would you rather die? By fire or by water? So like drowning.” Lance explained.

They were all very quiet, the three across the room sending small glances at Keith. Keith did not meet their eyes. He knew how they looked, pitiful, scared to answer.

“By water,” Keith finally said.

“Why?” Lance asked, completely oblivious to the tension in the room.

Keith shrugged, “Because when you drown, you pass out after a while. Yeah, it hurts like hell when you are holding your breath, and even more so when you finally try to breath in. But the worst part of it is the panic you feel during it all, but eventually, you start to go unconscious and it’s...actually kind of peaceful. Then you pass out before you actually die. So it’s just like falling asleep. But fire...fire burns the whole way, well, I guess you pass out, if you are breathing in the smoke, but it still burns. And you can’t see, it gets in your eyes and burns. Your skin starts blistering, you can feel your insides boiling-” Keith realized how long he had been talking, and the looks he had begun to receive, and he stopped, “So, yeah, drowning.”

He knew both of these, of course. He had collected by drowning when he was 18 years old, just a little over two years ago.

“Same,” Pidge said quickly.

“Likewise,” Coran agreed.

“Yeah,” Shiro said quietly, looking at Keith and crossing his arms, “I agree with Keith.”

“I don’t.” Lance shook his head, and everyone turned to him with wide eyes. Except for Keith, who was looking up to him with a small, surprised smile, “I think drowning sounds like the worst. See, when I was younger-”

He was cut off when Allura and Hunk walked in with three bowls of popcorn and some sodas and cups. They set everything on the table, and took their seats besides Shiro. Immediately, Shiro grabbed Allura by the arm and brought her close, whispering something in her ear as they both made side glances to where Lance and Keith were sitting.

Lance didn’t seem to noticed as he patted Keith’s legs and asked, “Do you want anything? I’m gonna go grab one of those bowls.”

“Uh, no,” Keith said, “I mean, yeah. One of the bowls is fine.”

“Sounds good,” Lance carefully moved Keith’s legs off of him and laid them back down gently.

Lance momentarily fought with Pidge over the bigger bowl, but ended up coming back with a purple bowl of kettle corn and a cup for himself. Keith picked up his feet again when Lance came to sit down, and was ready to change to position until he saw that Lance was holding the bowl up, waiting for Keith to move his legs back over him. Slowly, he did.

Lance smiled and rested the bowl on his legs, and threw a handful in his mouth. He went to offer Keith some but then pulled it back, “Do you need to check your sugar?”

Keith looked at him strangely but then went, “Oh, yeah.”

“CHECK YOUR SUGAR!” The rest of the room shouted at him.

Keith grumbled and twisted his body to grab the kit on the floor. As he grumpily got the finger prick and blood sugar meter out, Lance talked.

“My whole family does that too, when Julian forgets to check his before a meal. You'll hear six people screaming from all corners of the house _SUGAR CHECK_ if he ever forgot.”

Allura asked, “You have a family member with diabetes?”

Lance nodded, “Yeah, my little brother. He’s been doing really well lately. We've only know he has had it for a year or so, but he hasn't had to go back to the hospital since we figured it out, so that's good enough for us. ”

“That’s very good to hear, Lance.” Allura smiled.

Pidge had walked over to Keith to view his numbers. Once he finished, she took a hold of the machine, eyebrows scrunched together, “This doesn’t make sense…”

Allura walked over as well, “Strange…”

Lance didn’t say anything but was craning his neck to try to see the numbers.

“What are you at?” Shiro asked cautiously.

Keith grabbed the bowl of popcorn and shoved some in his mouth as he said, “106.”

“That’s good.” Shiro stated, but sounded surprised.

Pidge was writing in her booklet frantically, “It’s very...good. Don’t forget to mark it down.”

Keith nodded and went to grab his book while balancing the popcorn. But Lance stuck his hand out, “Need help?”

For a solid 15 seconds, Keith just stared at Lance’s outstretched hand before taking his offer and giving away the bowl of popcorn.

After Keith noted his blood sugar levels, everyone settled in and they turned on the movie. Throughout the film, Pidge and Shiro made snide side comments as they usually did, Hunk loudly vocalized his surprise, fear, and laughter, Allura shushed everyone, and Coran almost fell asleep. On the far side of the room, Keith and Lance whispered between each other.

“So Allura is a doctor?” Lance asked.

“Yeah,” Keith responded, his eyes fixed on the screen although he was definitely not watching, “She works at The Castellan Hospital. About ten minutes away from the school.”

“Oh, I’m very familiar with that one,” Lance nodded. “So what about Coran? Is he a doctor too?”

“He’s administration, handles all the important documents, medical records.”

“Is Shiro-”

Keith shook his head, “Nope. He’s works at the college.”

Lance nodded, “Oh cool. Is he like your…uh, you know?”

Keith tore his gaze from Lance, who was softly picking at the stitching of Keith’s jeans. It was safe to say that Keith liked Lance. As in, he liked talking to Lance, he liked the attention Lance gave him, as if there was no one else in the room when they talked. It made him feel desirable.

Did he _like_ Lance?

No, he did not.

At least.

He didn’t think so.

“My what?” Keith squinted.

“You know,” Lance’s whisper voice got quieter, “You guys came together…”

Keith made a face, “He’s my uncle.”

“Oh! Oh, okay. I guess. That makes sense. You guys, uh, look alike.”

Keith deadpanned, “Yeah, we get that a lot.”

“I didn’t mean-agh. I’ll stop talking.”

At the pure exasperation on Lance’s face, Keith began to laugh. It wasn’t much, just small, airy scoffs. Enough, it seemed, to changed Lance’s expression. To change his irritated scowl into an amused smirk, as if he had accomplish a goal.

Did Lance _like_ him?

Now, that information might change things. Would make it so much easier for Keith to fall.  He didn’t know if he wanted to. He didn’t know if he wanted Lance to like him, it would seem very unfortunate for him. Lance, that is.

Who would want to love someone who couldn’t stay alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, Klance train has taken off. Thank you for reading and leaving kudos and comments. You all are amazing! See you soon.


	5. world stop...

“Oh hell,” Lance rubbed his face as he woke up to the blaring of his alarm clock. There was only so many times one could wake up to Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj’s ‘Feelin Myself’ before it was not funny anymore.

4:05am. Why did he do this to himself?

He squeezed his eyes shut, still sunk comfortably in the dent he had made in his mattress overnight and enveloped in warmth. Maybe if he kept them shut then all of his responsibilities would wash away like the ocean tide on sand.

He opened his eyes and it was 4:07am.

Already feeling like he had failed this morning, Lance pulled himself out of bed. He knew he shouldn't have stayed out so late the other night, but Hunk had been his ride and he didn't want to ask to leave early. Mostly because he did not want to leave early.

He’s never really had a group of close friends before, not like Hunk had. Usually he kept his trust between one or two important people and had numerous acquaintances. Yet the group the other day felt inviting and homely. He had a good time.

He started his way to the bathroom, keeping quiet in order not to wake Hunk.

They had been roommates for just a short while but it felt like it was meant to be. They clicked, same styles, same interests, similar enough way of living that they didn’t butt heads constantly. Obviously they had their differences, but as of now, they hadn’t experienced any grief from moving in with each other.

Lance utilized, brushed his teeth, and washed his face. After doing so, he felt somewhat more awake and made his way back to his room.

Coming from a large family house to a two-person apartment was probably one of the strangest moves Lance has experienced so far. He had his own space and didn’t have to wait in a long line for the bathroom. Before then, Lance shared a room with his little brother most of his life. Even before Julian was born, he shared a room with his older sister. He had never had his own room before. Now not only did he have his own room, he often had the whole place to himself when Hunk was out working at the hospital or at school. The apartment wasn’t too spacious but when he was alone, it felt like he had the whole world to himself.

As soon as Lance had grabbed his book bag, he was downstairs and outside, climbing into his car.

“Ready for the day, Blue?” He said aloud as he started the engine.

His car responded by beeping at him to put his seat belt on.

“Let’s go.”

 

Lance worked at the only decent pool in town. The indoor pool, open all year round and was attached to a gym, happened to open at five am. Because why the fuck not.

This wasn’t his only job, however. He couldn’t pay for all these new bills that came with being a real grown up by working eight dollars an hour a few days a week. Sure, Balmera Gym didn’t give him as many hours as he would like, but he far enjoyed this job more than the other one.

So there Lance sat on the lifeguard stand, in his red swimming trunks, whistle around neck, rescue tub on his lap at five o’clock on a Sunday morning, watching three old men swim back and forth for two hours until his coworker arrived to relieve him.

The things he did to pay the rent.

He praised the god of chlorinated pools and handed the sacred rescue tube over to the equally tired teenager. He made his way to the guard room, a lounge/storage area where they took their breaks, had meetings, and kept some of the pool equipment, and collapsed on the couch. Kicking his foot out to rest on the top of the couch, he reached for his phone out of his bag.

He wasn’t expecting a message, it was 7am, but he was hoping.

Alas, his notifications were bare. Except for a few Twitter updates and a missed call from his mom that he hadn’t gotten back to yet.

That was another thing about him moving out: his mother was extremely paranoid. Lance wasn’t her first child to move out, and definitely wouldn’t be her last, but she was still as much of a hen has she had been with his big sister.

Lance was the second oldest of five. He had one older sister, one younger brother and two younger sisters. He was the oldest boy, but definitely fitting in middle child status. Especially with everything that was going on with his other siblings.

He wouldn’t necessarily say that his family line was unhealthy. They didn’t have any history of rare genetic diseases, excessive cancers, or like, oily skin or anything along those lines. They were a diverse family, all different skin tones, body shapes, and eye colors. His family just happened to be really, really unlucky.

They have an inside joke that they were cursed by a witch a few generations ago, a curse that activated with their immediate family. It was a humorous, lighthearted way to deal with the worst scenarios. Which is just what Lance’s family did.

When Lance’s older sister, Laura, couldn't afford to go to her first choice college then got rejected from her second one, it was just the old witch’s fault. When his younger sister, Rosalyn, somehow developed the only allergies in the entire family-an ungodly bad allergy against dairy (like if you even think about ice cream this kid will puff up in rashes), it was obviously that no good old witch who gave her those allergies. Of course, in seriously tragic situations, such as the family’s home burning down or their grandfather passing away their mother’s birthday, they didn’t immediately blame the witch. Later on, sure. After all, if there was no other explanation for it, just blame the witch.

So since there was an ancient sorceress after all the McClain-Martinez’s, Lance’s mother would often call and check up on him. Not just because she missed her son, but because she was awfully worried that he would get into trouble. Every single one of her children has spent the night in the hospital, except for Lance. Lance was the luckiest of the bunch. He had dumb luck that was surprising to anyone, especially a house full of unlucky people. He would fall off a tree playing with his brother, and when Julian had to go to the hospital, Lance was unscathed. Everyone in the house would catch a bad flu and Lance wouldn’t be affected. Of course, he still suffered hardships that the whole family went through, but when it came to him personally, he seemed immune to the worse ends of witch’s curse up until this point. He didn’t know what it was, but he was hoping to keep it up for as long as possible.

He was even lucky enough to be able to get off work early.

He fist bumped the manager on duty on his way out. They had accidentally over-scheduled for the day so they ended up with more lifeguards then they needed. And since Lance was the first person to clock in, he got the freebie. He thought about passing it up for money purposes, but since it was only an hour early and he had been there since five, he thought he deserved to treat himself.

Also he had a shit ton of homework to do back home.

“Hey baby,” He said as he approached his car, patting the roof. Lance climbed in and started her up. After the six hours of work, his windshield had adopted a thin layer of frost from the recent decrease of weather. More of a summer child himself, Lance had pulled out his box of fall clothes as soon as the temperature got below 60. He may not be a fan of the cold, but at least knew how to rock autumn fashion. You’ve never seen a sweater be worn so well until you’ve seen Lance in his acid washed skinny jeans, high tops, navy blue oversized sweater topped off with a matching beanie. He knew how to dress.

Well, not today. He had woken up at four fucking am today, he was wearing sweatpants, sandals, a bright red  ‘employee’ t-shirt with a jean jacket. Scientists have looked at this outfit before and all collectively concluded that it was only worn by college students who have gotten somewhere around 3-5 hours of sleep the night before. Psychologists did an experiment on this outfit and have found that people who were seen wearing this outfit also reported to have equal or more self-esteem issues than their peers and also were seen to combat this extra stress with memes. Love gurus everywhere have turned away people in these outfits because no one in the world has been able to find love wearing these exact four articles of clothing.

Which is why as Lance was scraping the frost off his car and he spotted Keith approaching him, he nearly had an heart attack.

Keith was wearing normal clothes, like a normal person. He had his dumb mullet up in a dumb ponytail, a simple fact that Lance found very important to note. A pair of red headphones sat around his neck. Besides the pool, the building had a really nice fitness center and basketball court, Keith must be here to use one of them. Of course. That would make sense.

“Hey,” Keith began, “I was just walking by, and uh, I saw you. Thought it would be rude not to say hi.”

“Oh, cool. Hey then.” Lance said.

Uggghhhhh.

So okay listen, it was no secret that Lance had a crush on Keith. He had known Keith since high school, but apparently Keith didn’t remember him as much as Lance did. Which was. Whatever. Not like Lance had spent most of his eleventh grade math class staring at Keith across the room, hating the fact that Keith sat next to the window, causing the sun to reflect upon his face, not only sending Lance, new to the whole pretty boy thing, into his very first bisexual crisis, but also causing the place to look like a scene from some teen romance movie. Except in this movie, Lance remained pinning the entirety of the film because he was too shy to talk to him and whenever he did interact with him (like maybe twice the whole year) he was so nervous that he was accidentally just really mean to the guy.

You know, nothing like that.

Anyway, so when Lance realized he had a class in college with this mysterious stranger, he knew he had make amends for all the time staring at him. So he was totally on board in being his lab partner.

You can see how well that worked out for him.

“Yeah.” Keith looked around at the building, to Lance’s shirt and then said, “Do you work here?”

“Yep, I’ve been working at Balmera for about three years. I’m a lifeguard and I teach swim lessons sometimes. I also work at Galra Casino and Hotel part time too. I’m a pool attendant there, so not like it’s anything crazy.”

Keith seemed surprised, “Oh. That’s cool. So you can swim.”

Lance wasn’t even sure if that was a question, so he just responded, “Yeah.”

That weird quiet fell over them when the conversation was obviously not going anywhere but they were both too awkward to end it officially.

Lance was hoping that maybe after getting to know Keith that his strange puppy dog crush would go away. Like when you meet someone who is really pretty but their personality is crap? Lance was hoping Keith’s personality would be crappy.

It was not. Keith was weird, yeah, but in an endearing kind of way. Keith somehow managed to work the impulsive bad boy AND the dorky nerd vibe simultaneously, a feat Lance didn’t think was fair.

“So I had a good time last night,” Lance spoke, “Your friends are really cool.”

Keith smiled, “I had a good time too. You’ll have to come back, we usually try to get together every couple of weeks or so.”

“I definitely will. Do you guys have a group chat or something?”

“No?”

“What?” Lance took out his phone, “How did Hunk not make a group chat for everyone yet? It’ll be so much easier to get together. I mean, I don’t know if you guys all work together or something, but it must be difficult to correlate with everyone spread out.”

Keith looked like he was holding something back when he said, “Uh. Yeah. It’s tough.”

Lance thankfully demanded everyone’s numbers before he left last night so it was simple to plug everyone’s names in a new chat.

“What’s a good chat group name for you guys?” Lance asked.

Keith side-stepped and peered over Lance's shoulder, “What?”

“Like, do you all have an inside joke or something?”

“No?”

“God, you are not helpful,” Lance thought for a moment and then smiled as he typed.

Soon, Keith received a message from the group ‘Committee of Keith Sucks’; the message from ‘Chairperson’ saying: Hey sup guys!!! It’s Lance and this a group chat so we can all chat if need be! I’m disappointed in you Hunk why wasn’t this made earlier

Keith glared up, “Why does it say I suck.”

Lance grinned and shrugged. He could’ve said it’s because he is basically a 13 year old and he doesn’t know how to properly show affection so he’s mean to Keith in an attempt to deal with his feelings but instead he went with: “Because you suck.”

They both received a text from Pidge (11:56am): I want to be the president of this club

Lance rolled his eyes and said:

 **Chairperson** (11:56am): You can’t be a president it’s a COMMITTEE and if it was a club i would be the president

_Pidge changed group name to CLUB OF KEITH SUCKS_

_Pidge changed name from PIDGE to PRESIDENT_

Lance gasped. Like audibly gasped. Keith heard it.

 **Chairperson**  (11:57am): How DARE you

 **President** (11:57am) **:** Better

Keith played along and said (11:58am): Can the club/committee/whatever be about something else then me sucking.

 **President** (11:59am): Hah, that’s gay Keith

That would have been funny for Lance if he hadn’t been standing right next to his crush.

Keith seemed unfazed and leaned up against Lance’s car as he typed out:

 **Keith** (11:59am): you’re gay Pidge

Lance huffed a laugh and decided Keith was the love of his life.

 **President** (12:00pm) **:** Yah so are you what’s your point

Lance stopped everything, and slowly moved his eyes so that he was staring at Keith, who had a little smile on his face, waiting for the ultimatum.

 **Keith** (12:00pm): You got me there

Lance had EXTRA decided that Keith was the love of his life.

And that his luck had officially ran out for the day and he had to go before something completely awful happened. Such as him confessing or a bomb dropping on their heads. Or something else of equal calamity.  

“Haha,” Lance said. Not laughed. Said, “Well, I should probably get home, I got tons of homework to do.”

Keith looked up from his phone, “Oh. Oh yeah, I should probably go. Work out.”

“Yep yep.” Lance tried not to think about Keith working out, “I’ll see you tomorrow in bio?”

“Definitely,” Keith smiled and waved bye, walking to the doors.

Lance got into his car, and plug his phone into the aux cord, blasting some music to combat the internal screaming in his head.

When he got home, Hunk was making a late lunch for the two of them. The moment Lance came in, he kicked the door and yelled, “HUNK. HOLY FUCK.”

“Hey Lance,” Hunk said as he boiled water, “You know you don’t have to do that every time you get home.”

Lance threw his bag to the side, “But HUNK! Listen to me! Did you get the messages? Listen, it’s about Keith. ”

“What...what about Keith?” Hunk asked, biting the inside of his cheek and looking at Lance cautiously.

“Hunk. He’s gay.”

Hunk looked relieved and went back to what he was doing, “Yeah, Lance.”

“Did you KNOW? Why didn’t you TELL ME?”

“Lance, it’s really not that hard to figure out. Your gaydar is really off.”

“Excuse _me_. My gaydar is PERFECT.”

“Buddy, you didn’t even know you were bi until like two years ago.”

“Okay, fair fucking point but STILL. This is perfect.”

“Are you going to ask him out?” Hunk asked, gathering some fettuccine noodles and putting them in the pot.

“What? No, of course not.”

“Bro, why not?” Hunk asked.

“Because what if he doesn’t like me back? What if he thinks I’m a weirdo?!”

Hunk turned to Lance, arms crossed, “Lance, do you remember what you said to me when I wanted to ask out Shay but was too scared to?”

“That doesn’t count!”

“Don’t you talk back at me, mister!” Hunk pointed, “What did you tell me?”

Lance groaned and set his head down dramatically on the table, “To do it anyway.”

“So! Go do it! If he says no, then he says no. You’ll regret it more if you never do it and have to live with the fact that you will will never know. No matter what, he’s a cool guy and it won’t be weird if he doesn’t like you back. Just... when you ask him, don’t tell him that you’ve been crushing on him since high school. That might be something to save for after you guys get together.”

“Heh, yeah. You’re right, buddy. You are the best.”

“I know," Hunk said and then grinned a smile bright enough to stop the sun, "Now get some plates out, we may be poor college students, but that is no reason to slack on our diets-"

Lance decided he was the luckiest when it came to his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> carry on


	6. autumn paints

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are equally scared of the things that we don't want near us and the things that we want to come closer.

“What are you working on?” Keith leaned over the chair that he was sitting backwards in, doodling a picture on the corner of Lance’s paper.

Three weeks had passed by. The autumn had gradually turned into winter, waving goodbye with the disappearance of the final orange leaves and the slow downwards slope into colder temperatures. Fall had parted with them calmly, kissing them soft on the noses, leaving blushed, cold touched skin behind it. It was sad to see it go, but nice to breathe in the fresh, chilly air it endowed.

Then winter came and punched them in the dicks.

It was Wednesday, November 15th,  and this was the first day of school since the previous week because of snow storm warnings. The extra break was appreciated but now they were packed full of work because of the Thanksgiving holiday coming up the next Thursday and Friday.

Still, Lance came over to Keith’s after their class to catch up.

However, there were no breaking news to share since they had been texting nonstop over the break. Lance didn’t have a sandwich without Keith knowing.

It wasn’t quite 24/7 texting in a creepy, I'm-gonna-need-some-space kind of thing. It was just whenever something exciting or new happened, they felt an urge to tell each other about it. Their conversations never started with ‘Hey’.

“Some astrology stuff.” Lance muttered, laying belly-down on Keith’s bed, staring down at a paper. He glanced at the doodle of a rocket ship Keith had done with a sly smile. No longer focusing on his homework, he began continuing the doodle, adding flames at the bottom of the ship.

After they finished their scene, Keith adding color and Lance drawing little people at the bottom cheering, Lance closed his notebook and sat up.

“All done?” Keith asked.

“All done.” Lance decided.

Once he had returned his supplies in his backpack, Lance sat criss-cross on Keith’s bed and looked at him, “So what do you want to do now?”

Keith tucked his hands in between his knees. He was wearing a red hoodie Lance had bought him while he was out one day. Not that it was cold in the apartment, it was just comfortable, and….safe. To answer Lance’s question, he just shrugged.

“Wanna finish up Stranger Things?” Lance asked, reaching back to his bag and tugged a bit until he got out his computer.

“Sure.” Keith said. Lance began working to pull up the show while Keith crawled on the bed and settled, leaning against the headboard.

“Alright, last episode,” Lance scooted back so he was sitting right besides Keith, computer on lap and shoulders pressed together, “You ready?”

Keith nodded and watched attentively.

Here was the thing about today, it was special. Or, it was _going_ to be special. Keith decided that today, he was going to confess. Confess to liking Lance, that is. Or, maybe not confess. But make a move.

He really did not have a plan.

Lance had been over for about an hour and a half, and Keith still hadn’t done a single thing towards in that region of activity. He didn’t know if he COULD. His stomach was in knots, he thought that maybe he was getting sick. Wouldn’t be surprising with the flu going around this time of year. He felt lightheaded, and also like he needed to use the bathroom. Maybe he could get his head on straight (well no that would be counterproductive) if he just slipped away for a moment...

No, if he left he would definitely not come back. He would probably get on a bus, leave town forever and never know if Lance liked him back.

And what if he didn’t like him back? That would make things necessarily awkward and made his stomach turn ever the more. 

His eyes flickered from the screen to Lance, who was focused on the show. Keith wasn’t sure if he wanted to make a move. Perhaps he needed to give it more time. Or maybe right now would be his best opportunity.

A pair of eyes glanced up to look at Keith for only a moment, but then came back quickly when they found company. For a few seconds they stayed there, just staring at each other expressionless.

They heard the faint shutting of a door and a lock clicking, followed by Shiro’s voice, “Hey boys, the food is here.”

Lance’s eyes tore from Keith’s and looked to the door of Keith’s bedroom, which was still closed. He shouted, “Thanks, Shiro!”

He looked back at Keith and cleared his throat, “Do you want to…”

Goddamnit. Keith tried to relax. Okay, not now then. Bad time. He would make a move before Lance left; he WOULD.

Keith nodded and they both went to the front room where Shiro was pulling boxes of Chinese food out of a giant bag. Shiro looked at Keith with a tiny smile, implying things that Keith only wished were true

A few hours later, Lance was getting ready to leave.

“So, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?” Lance mentioned as they stood on the front porch.

Keith shrugged, “Shiro and I go out to his parent’s house."

“Oh.” Lance said, “That’s cool.”

“You?” Keith asked.

Lance rubbed his face, “Well, which is kinda why I was asking, we celebrate, we as in my family, Thanksgiving on Black Friday. My mom works at the casino, the one I work at, and so she always has to work on holidays so it’s kind of our tradition to celebrate the day after. I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to come with? If you are doing anything, no biggie. I usually take Hunk but he’s flying out to Hawaii to visit some extended family this break. So, I’ll, yeah. Just wondering.”

“Oh.” Keith said.

“It’s cool if you can’t, I get it. Just thought I should ask.”

“No, no. I mean, yes. I would like to go.”

“Oh! Oh, cool. Awesome. It’ll be a lot of fun, I promise. My family is crazy, and large, but it’ll be fun.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Awesome. Well, I’ll see you later, then?”

Keith nodded, and reciprocated the goodbye. He walked into the house and told Shiro about his plans for Thanksgiving break.

Shiro grinned, “So will we be telling my mom that she should be expecting a new in-law?”

“No! It’s not a date!”

Shiro gave Keith a look, “But _is it_?”

“Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is short! I'll be honest it's a bit of a filler, but also a wonderful segway to the next chapter, which is gonna really get the ball rolling. I am the midst of finals so send me your best wishes, I'm gonna need them. Look forward to the next chapter, I'll put it up as soon as I can, so strap in your seat belts. See you all soon, thank you for your love! If you want to talk about klance or voltron or life in general, I am on tumblr at https://somethingaboutklance.tumblr.com/
> 
> Have a wonderful day!


	7. something cold, something blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cold never bothered me anyway
> 
> warnings for this chapter: graphic mentions of suffering from cold, pain, and body mutilation (frostbite). A mild bike accident.

Thanksgiving break could not have arrived fast enough. Although as impatient as he was beforehand, when the day creeped up, Keith wanted to go back in time. Not that he didn’t love his grandmother Ami (which was debatable), he was simply nervous for the events of the day afterwards.

“Keithy!” His grandmother shouted when he walked through the threshold of the house, located just south of the middle of nowhere. On top of a hill, miles away from the nearest gas station. It was beautiful, no doubt, but quite inconvenient.

As Ami greeted her son, Hiroyuki greeted Keith.

“How are you?” He asked.

The difference between his relatives were many, but Keith’s favorite one was that Hiroyuki wasn’t nearly as excitable as his wife.

“I’m fine, how are you?” Keith asked.

“I’m well. How is school going?”

“It’s going good.”

“Good to hear.”

And that was it. It was perfect.

“I’m so glad to see you boys!” Ami squealed, “Who is ready for food?”

They all agreed and went to the dining room to eat. They celebrated Thanksgiving in their own way, putting a Japanese twist on an American holiday. Keith wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

After talking throughout the course of their meals, they were completely caught up in each other’s lives. Including Shiro throwing Keith under the bus about Lance. Aunt Ami went OFF. She wanted to know EVERYTHING about the boy. Keith remembered that and made a mental note to put snakes in Shiro’s bed.

Before they left, Shiro helped Ami clean up and went with her upstairs to help her decide on new paint colors for the house.

Keith turned to Shiro's father, “Can I?” he whispered.

Hiroyuki looked around with a sly eye, pretending to make sure no one was watching, and smiled, “Don’t be out for long,”

He pulled out a pair of keys in his pocket, knowing this would come, and tossed them to Keith with a wink.

Keith grinned and ran out the room, heading toward the garage.

Little does most know, but his car, ‘Red’ is just really Red the Second. Hiroyuki had the _real Red_.

Red was a old, fashionable motorcycle that Hiroyuki kept in his garage, but never rode. He didn’t have the strength for it anymore. Keith was promised it when he turned 21. An age so close but so far away. Keith has been in love with her for the longest time and demanded to be taught how to ride when he had turned 16.

He grinned as his hands gripped the handles. He only had his fingerless gloves on, but he had his coat and scarf. It would be a short ride. Although Shiro and Ami would be pissed to know he went out on the bike in the cold, he knew he could handle it.

So, as the garage door opened, he revved the engine and grinned as he hit the gas and shot out into the winter.

Ice jeopardized his path, but that only made it more exciting. He swerved around particularly nasty layers as he flew through the back roads, the ride smooth, and the dark settling on the sky. He knew he didn’t have much time, but the cold bit at his nose and the tips of his ears, the trees along the side of the road crowded the area behind him and he felt peace in the adrenaline. He felt free.

Keith couldn’t wait until this bike was his.

He picked up the speed when he got near the bridge, feeling the loud hum of the bike’s engine until he-

Until he hit a bad piece of ice. The bike skidded onto it's front wheel, Keith didn't have a moment to comprehend what had happened before he thrown off. The bike slid down the bridge while Keith was tossed enough to slide off the bridge, which was old and worn to the point that it did not have any railings on the sides. 

It wasn’t a truly bad crash, but he had been unfortunate enough to land in the water below. With some struggle, Keith swam back. The struggle came with the heaviness of his soaking clothes and the freezing temperature of the water. There were pieces of ice floating on the surface to prove that the water was not meant to be splashed in.

Arms wrapped around himself, Keith trudged through the mud of the shore. Luckily the bridge only raised a few feet off the ground so the fall wasn’t detrimental. He looked up to make sure Red was okay.

He stomped through, climbed up, and was finally able to get back to the bridge. His hands shook as he reached down to his soaked jeans and with some trouble, pulled out his phone. It was water shocked and wouldn’t turn on. Great.

Shoving his phone in his coat pocket, he looked up to the hill. He picked up the motorcycle and mounted it once more. He took the key out of the ignition then put it back in. Nothing happened. Even better.

He tried that a few times but soon his fingers didn’t want to move anymore and he settled for putting the key in his pocket as well. Trying to think of how long he had been driving, he looked up to the hill. Maybe 15 minutes? It would take far longer for him to hike.

He got off the bike but kept hold of the handle and began walking with it. His teeth chattered as the wind blew, and it no longer felt nice now that he didn’t have a quick way out of it.

Trying to breathe deeply, he remembered the weather forecast. There was supposed to be a snow storm tonight, even though there was already a couple inches on the ground. That’s why Shiro wanted to leave before too late. Didn’t want to be caught in the storm.

As he walked, he though about Lance and their project over frostbite. What were they symptoms?

It started with cold skin. Obviously. Keith kept walking.

The first step was called frostnip. It was the onset of frostbite and consisted of the feeling of cold, paired with redden skin. If the exposure continued, the skin may begin to feel prickly or numb. Frostnip doesn’t permanently damage the skin.  

His fingers tightened on the handles, the hard metal not helping the cold. It was getting harder to push the bike. Every step was more difficult.

The intermediate stage was called the superficial frostbite. The skin starts going from red to white or pale. The affected parts feel hard, or no, maybe it’s still soft at this point? Anyway, if you rewarm the skin at this point, a fluid-filled blister may appear and the skin may be blue or purple. Keith remembered that one because Lance kept finding the grossest pictures possible.

Keith had been walking for a little over ten minutes when he started to feel dizzy, he was biting his cheeks with every gust of wind, wincing and was walking hunch backed with every step. Was dizziness a side effect of frostbite?

He thought hard. Main symptoms laid on the skin, and also included fever. He supposed the fever could make him dizzy, but-

He remembered his research, and recalled debating with Lance whether or not they should have an extra slide for another injury, related to frostbite.

Hypothermia.

Frostbite didn’t kill you, not really. Hypothermia would kill you.

Keith tried to walk faster, but almost as if his realization sped up the process, he tripped over his feet, falling to his knees in the snow. He thought hard. Symptoms of hypothermia.

Shivering, dizziness, lack of coordination, fatigue.

But...didn’t it take a while for it to set in? Maybe the wet clothing was making it worse.

Up on the hill, he saw a light in the dark fog. A car was leaving the house.

He decided he would wait there, seemed like a good idea. He was so tired, he didn’t know if he could walk anymore.

Within a few minutes, a few incredibly long minutes, Shiro’s black car came to a halt on the side of the road. His uncle came running out of it, and grabbed a hold of Keith.

“What happened?” Shiro asked, helping his nephew to his feet.

“I-I-I cr-ashed.” Keith stuttered, realizing how cold he really was when Shiro held him, “Fe-e-ell int-in the riv-ver.”

“Let’s get you in the car.” Shiro said.

Keith exhaled when he sat in the warmth of the car. Soon, Shiro was in the driver’s seat and making a U-turn on the road.

“W-where are we going?” Keith mumbled.

“Home,” Shiro said, “I already explained to them that I would grab you and head out. They agreed, the storm is supposed to hit earlier.”

“But, R-re-ed.” Keith looked out the window.

“My dad will get it later,” Shiro looked to Keith, “Are you okay?”

Keith looked at his hands. He couldn’t feel his fingers, except for a needle-like pricking. He also felt nausea, like he was going to puke. He leaned his head back and shook his head, no.

“I’m calling Allura.”

And he did. He had to call her twice before she answered, but she did. Shiro put the call on speaker and they both heard her accented, “Hello?”

“Hey, Keith got himself in trouble.”

“On a holiday? Sounds likely, what happened?”

“He crashed on his bike, nothing too damaging but he has been in the cold for a while. He’s really pale and his hands don’t look too good.”

“Does he have frostbite?”

“Uhh…”

“Y-yes,” Keith said, “Stage...two already.”

“Okay,” Allura said, “The biggest bet would be hypothermia, Keith do you display any signs of that? Drowsiness, I can tell that your speech is slightly slurred, but do you feel ill?”

“Yeah,” Keith nodded, as his eyelids began closing.

Shiro patted his arm to bring him back as Allura spoke, “Excellent. Now, this one might take a while, so sit tight. Sadly, the best thing to do would be to leave him out in the cold until he-”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Shiro, once he passes then he’ll get better, if this is really a collection, which it certainly sounds like-”

“I’m not going to just put him back in the cold and let him die, Allura.”

“It would be far less painful, we’ve tried to bring him back to health before, Shiro, it does not work.”

Shiro’s grip tightened on the handle and he drove faster, “That was when he was poisoned, Allura. This...I can bring him back from this.”

“What if there are consequences, Shiro? You aren’t thinking clearly.”

“There won’t be.” Shiro stated, “Tell me how to help him.”

“You can help him by letting him collect!”

“Not tonight. You can either tell me what to do or I’ll do this alone.”

“Shiro, you are not-”

“Goodbye, Allura.”

Shiro hung up.

Keith looked at him with wide eyes, not sure if he just hallucinated that conversation or not, “Sh-shiro, listen-”

“I’m not letting you die, Keith. Not if I can do anything about it. We’ll be home soon, okay? Sit tight. We are going to get through this.” Shiro turned up the heat, and pulled onto the highway.

Keith was too tired to fight back and remained silent the whole way home. Allura called two more times within those 45 minutes, even Coran tried once. Shiro never answered them.

Although the heat was as high as it could go and Shiro was almost sweating, Keith was still shivering by the time they arrived. Shiro picked up Keith like a baby and carried him into the house. His body hurt as he was moved. He ended up on the couch of their living room, and immediately curled into the fetal position in attempt to warm his own body.

Kneeling down on the side of the couch, Shiro said, “We need to get you out of these wet clothes. Do you think you can move?”

His nephew nodded faintly and Shiro started by taking off his boots, going all the way until Keith was stripped down to his boxers.

Shiro began running around the house and soon enough Keith was piled under nearly all the  blankets they had available.

“There,” Shiro brought Keith a warm glass of water with a straw, “Sip it.”

Keith pried his hands out of the blanket and took the glass. The warm liquid felt nice on his lips, which were still quivering. He looked up to see Shiro bringing out his computer.

As Keith moved slowly to set the glass on the counter behind him, Shiro said, “It says that you should be fine after we rewarm you, if anything maybe you’ll have a cold. The frostbite might be a problem, apparently you get blisters after they thaw? We’ll deal with those when we get there. Your hands didn’t turn black, which is stage three-”

Yes, the final stage of frostbite was called ‘Deep Frostbite’. This occurred once the skin tissue all the way past the dermis has been affected. After rewarming, the skin will turn hard and black, signifying that the tissue had died and was lost. That is when people start losing fingers. When Lance had learned about that, even he couldn't look at the pictures for long. It made Keith laugh watching the funny faces Lance made while looking at the grotesque limbs.  

Shiro sat with Keith for a while longer, about twenty minutes. He kept checking in on him, feeling his forehead to see if there was any change. After ten minutes of Keith not getting any better, Shiro had brought in a heater from the closet, turning it on and facing Keith.

The only progress in Keith’s condition was it getting worse. It was unexplainable, somehow, he felt like he was getting _colder._ He shivered more than he did when he was in the cold, was having trouble taking deep breaths, and his eyelids were fighting to close. A few times, he tried to kick off the blankets, he didn’t know why, maybe he just felt crowded. He was weak in his attempts so it wasn’t hard for Shiro to wrap him back up, but it made him frustrated. After sitting by the heater for so long, Shiro was sweating through his shirt. How was it that Keith’s body temperature wasn’t rising at all?

After half an hour of trying to raise Keith’s temperature, Shiro sighed and laid his head in his hands, “I don’t know what to do.”

“S-s-h-” Keith’s mouth refused to work with him.

“I’m calling Allura.” Shiro said, then stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Keith would’ve nodded if he could, but he just watched with his half-lidded eyes as Shiro left. And he listened to the conversation to follow.

Keith never knew his uncle to be an angry man, but he was a stubborn one. He would walk on hot rocks to help someone in need, and Keith knew he loved him. Helping in this situation however, called for something entirely different. Something Keith knew Shiro wasn’t quite ready to accept.

Even over the phone and another room away, Keith could hear Allura shouting on the other line. Though Shiro was not yelling back, the grit of his teeth could be heard in the coldness of his voice.

Speaking of cold, Keith couldn’t feel one of his hands. It was as if it was no longer there, he had to feel around the couch with his other hand, which was numb but still operable, and drag the lifeless limb out of the blanket.

Without moving his head, Keith did his best to move his eyes enough to take a peek what was going on with his hand, which was hanging lifelessly off the couch.

“Sh-sh-sh-sh,” Keith called as loud as he could. He had to repeat the sound a few times before Shiro heard him.

He was still on the phone with Allura, a scowl on his face when he walked into the room. A scowl that fell to pieces when he saw Keith’s hand.

On each of his fingers, the skin down to his knuckles was a charcoal black. It was a disgusting sight, his skin mottled and nails a greenish-yellow. Shiro bent down and inspected his hand, a grimace on his face.

“Allura, his hands are...they look bad.”

“That’s the frostbite, Shiro! He’s getting worse, his body won't stop until it kills him! He is in _pain,_ Shiro! I swear to god, if you don’t let him collect right now, I’m going to-”

As Allura threaten him, Shiro looked at Keith. The young man was breathing shallowly and blinking slowly. His eyes remained glazed, as if he was only half there.

Keith said to Shiro, “Puh-puh…”

Please.

Shiro bit his lip, “What do I need to do?”

“Take him outside. If he’s that bad, it should only take a few minutes.” Allura demanded.

“Fine.” Shiro said, and then hung up.

Shiro took a moment to brush back Keith’s hair, still damp. Then, he moved the blankets away and collected him into his arms.

The snow storm had picked up while they were inside. The wind blew and screeched as it did, hitting you in the face with the cold. In the morning, the world would look peaceful and covered in inches of soft white frost. But right now, it was an unrelenting war between the snow and the wind.

Shiro stumbled a bit as he opened the door to the backyard. He pushed through the daggers in the air and made it to the middle of the yard. He held Keith close to his chest, whispered, “I’m sorry,” and then laid him in the snow.

Allura was right, it didn’t take long, Keith’s body had already done most of the damage to itself, now it was getting outside help. Still, it hurt, and Keith shivered violently until, finally, he stopped.

In relief, he became still and let out a long, shaky breath.

Keith opened his eyes again three seconds later. That’s always exactly how long it took. Keith’s heart would go flat for no more than three seconds, just one skip, and then he would open his eyes as if nothing happened.

He blinked a few times and looked around. He could feel every part of his body, but he was not cold in the snow any more. Bending his fingers to make sure they still worked, he followed the action by sitting up.

He was facing away from Shiro, but he heard his uncle, who was standing in the cold, tears stained on his cheeks, “K-Keith?”

Keith stood up, not hurt by the biting wind. He couldn't feel the cold.

At least, not cold on the outside.

Keith turned around and began walking to the house. He didn’t look at Shiro when he passed him, but marched on silently through the storm, fists tightened and jaw clenched. He didn’t acknowledge Shiro when they got in the house, he only grabbed his blanket off the couch and walked down the hall to his room.

He went to bed and he was not cold, but still, the world felt like it had frozen over. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was FUN to write, let me tell you that. 
> 
> Shiro is not meant to be a bad guy in this chapter, he's just doing his best in a strange situation. He wants to help, I promise! He just doesn't exactly know how to! Don't hate Shiro! 
> 
> Thank you for your comments and kudos, they mean the world to me!


	8. stare at stars and hope dreams come true

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh when it's cold  
> I get warm just thinking of you  
> When I'm alone  
> I stare at stars and hope dreams come true"  
> -Saint Motel's "Sweet Talk"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for this chapter: very, very brief mentions of injuries from frostbite, drowning, animal bites, and a self-inflicted accident.  
> 

The following day was an emergency meeting with the group, minus Hunk who was on vacation. Currently, Pidge and Keith were the only ones in the office. They were working on a new booklet quietly. This one was blue and small enough to fit in Keith’s back pocket.

“So, you think your tic this time has something to do with your body temperature?” Pidge asked.

Keith nodded, “Yeah, I can’t feel the cold when I’m outside.”

“Lucky you,” Pidge, who was wearing two coats today, grumbled, “Lift up your tongue.”

Keith obeyed and Pidge stuck a thermometer in his mouth.

As they waited, they heard the angry whispers of Coran, Allura, and Shiro outside the door. To say the least, Shiro was getting the lecture of his life.

The thermometer beeped and Pidge reached for it, “You were right, your temperature is at 29 degrees. Which, in case you didn’t know, is not a good thing.”

Keith nodded, but didn’t say anything, instead he stared at the door with a grimace.

“Are you okay?” Pidge asked, “I heard about what happened. That really wasn’t cool on Shiro’s part.”

“He was just trying to help.”

“But he didn’t help.” Pidge stated, “We all hate seeing you like that, but if there is a way to ease the pain faster, that’s what we have to do. Even if it means, you know, killing you. Yeah, it’s morally challenging, but he needs to understand that.”

Keith stared at the ground, “I don’t want to make you guys go through that because of me.”

“Oh boo hoo,” Pidge rolled her eyes, surprising Keith, “It’s not like we have no choice. We all have chosen to stick around and help in what way we can. Some of us actually ASKED to do so, don’t you forget.”

“I know,” Keith gave Pidge a small smile, “I’m really grateful for all of you.”

“Yeah, yeah, we love you too. Don’t get sappy on me, Elsa.”

“Elsa?”

“Get it? Cause you are like ice now? Frozen?”

“You’re an asshole.”

Pidge shot back a giant, cheesy smile as the big kids walked back into the room. Shiro had his head hung low, and didn’t look at Keith when he walked into room. Allura looked annoyed, but brushed it away when she approached Keith and Pidge, “Any findings?”

Pidge nodded, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure his tic this time is his body temperature. It’s really low, at 29 degrees.”

“That’s below freezing,” Coran said in surprise, “You’re a human popsicle!”

Allura asked, “Anything else?”

“I don’t feel the cold anymore,” Keith said, “It feels like it’s room temperature all the time. I’m not sure if I can feel heat either.”

“That will be something we will have to test,” Allura said, “But you stated earlier that you didn’t have a lot of time this morning?”

Keith nodded, “Yeah, Lance is picking me up at three.”

“Ooo,” Pidge teased, transcribing the data in both of their new books, “Got a date?”

“It’s not a date,” Keith shot, “I’m just going to his house to have Thanksgiving with his family-" Keith cut himself off as he watched Pidge's grin turn from joking to down right malicious, "-no. Don't you even start.”

“That’s wonderful!” Allura cooed, “You’ll have to tell us all about it!”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to go?” Shiro spoke up, “We still don’t know a whole lot about this new tic, what if something goes wrong?”

Everyone was quiet for a moment. None of them wanted to be mad at Shiro, no one wanted to be mad at anyone. So everyone remain silent, unsure what to say until Coran broke the tension by proclaiming, “Don’t be such a debby downer, Shiro! It will be fine, I’m sure of it.”

Keith smiled at him, “Thanks Coran. We should probably get going, I don’t want to be late.”

Although they walked out together and got into the same car to ride home, Keith had never felt further away from Shiro.

 

 

When Keith arrived home, he didn’t bother speaking to Shiro. He simply went inside, got dressed and made his way back outside to sit on the porch.

Shiro wouldn’t let him go that easily. He opened the door and stood behind the twenty year old, who was sitting criss-cross towards the road, playing on his phone like some kind of grumpy tween.

“You know,” Shiro said, “Pidge told me you weren’t mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you.” Keith said bluntly.

Shiro sighed, “I know I messed up, and I would really like to be able to talk about it and apologize, but you aren’t making this easy.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Keith commented.

“Keith, please-”

“Lance is here, gotta go.” Keith said as he saw the blue Honda down the road, not quite close enough to categorize as here, but enough to get Shiro off his back.  

“We are talking when you get home.” Shiro said as Keith stood up and stomped down the driveway.

“Okay,” Keith said.

“Be careful!” Shiro shouted after him.

“Okay!” Keith growled.

The car didn’t even have to pull into the driveway because by the time Lance reached the mailbox, Keith was basically in the middle of the street, ready to go.

“Well hey there,” Lance grinned as Keith opened the door on the passenger side.

“Hi,” Keith grumbled.

Lance looked concerned, “Everything okay…?”

“I’m fine,” Keith said, not fine.

“Okay…” Lance said, letting a smile appear on his face, “You look good.”

Keith’s expression changed drastically, a blush rushing up his neck. If he were a computer, he would be reading an ERROR sign, “Uh thanks, you too.”

Looking at Lance, Keith felt extremely underdressed. Keith was wearing a simple black shirt and his jacket, jeans and his regular sneakers. He wasn’t sure what to wear so he kept it casual. Lance, on the other hand, was wearing a light blue button up, sleeves rolled up, with a navy blue tie. His wrists were decorated with bracelets and, were those earrings? Yes, Lance was definitely wearing black studded earrings that went with his-oh god-dark, oxford blue painted nails. All the blue was really bringing out the tints of his eyes and Keith wasn’t sure if he was going to be okay.

In all, ‘you too’ didn’t exactly cut it. Lance looked well,  _hot._ Keith wasn’t sure how in the world Lance could compliment _him_ when he looked _that._

Lance kept the car in park while he unbuckled his seatbelt and twisted his body to grab something from the back.

“I was thinking you wouldn’t know how to dress yourself-” Lance commented while reaching by the seats. He came back with a shirt and a tie. The shirt was a maroon button up, while the tie was a rose-pink. Keith blinked at him.

“It’s family tradition to dress better than everyone else on Thanksgiving. I’ve been in the lead for the last three years, minus my mother, of course, but no one could vote against her. I don’t plan on letting you ruin my streak.”

“Oh...kay.” Keith said.

Lance made a satisfied ‘hmph’ noise and began driving off. Slowly, Keith took off his jacket and began inspecting the clothes. They looked like they were Lance’s, so they would fit him except they might sit a little long. Of course Keith knew they were Lance’s. They _smelled_ like Lance. In fact, know that he thought about it, the whole car smelled very much of Lance and Keith was having a hard time thinking straight. He couldn’t tell you what it smelled like, or if it was good, but definitely wasn’t bad. It made him feel creepy. It’s not like he was sniffing him or being weird, the boy just had a smell, okay? Everyone has a smell! Back off!

Lance peaked at Keith with a side-eye as the passenger peeled off his black t-shirt and folded it up, taking his sweet-ass time before he put on the given button-up. If you had asked Lance he would tell you that he was chill, no big deal, but the boy was really a few heartbeats away from cardiac arrest.

“I don’t know how to tie a tie.” Keith said, shirt halfway buttoned.

“That-” Lance noticed the squeak in his voice and coughed, lowering it, “That’s fine, I can do it when we get there. Where’s your coat, aren’t you cold?”

Keith paused. Oh yes. It was cold outside. Or, it was _going_ to be cold outside, now that Lance was with him. He simply shrugged, “Not really,”

“You’re a snowman,” Lance laughed, then began fiddling with his radio with one hand. He proceeded to plug his phone into the aux cord, “Hey, do you know who Saint Motel is?”

“No,”

“Perfect, because I’m gonna play you all my favorite songs by them. I have a set list already pre-made for this exact car ride, down to the minute. Get ready to enjoy.”

“Alright,”

They start off with ‘Sweet Talk’, which, apparently was Lance’s favorite song by them. As soon as it started up, Lance began singing along and dancing. Keith didn’t know that someone could be a good dancer while sitting and driving, but somehow Lance pulled it off.

_Sweet Talk_

_Everything you say_

“Hey, Keith, are you nervous?”

“Should I be?”

_It sounds like_

_Sweet Talk_

_To my ears_

“No, unless you are allergic to sass and bad jokes, which is what my entire family is made up of.”

“Could’ve guessed that by just looking at you.”

_You could yell_

_“Piss off, won’t you stay away.”_

“Ex-fucking-cuse me? I will turn this car around right now, Keef!”

“Did you just call me Keef?”

_It’ll still be_

_Sweet Talk_

_To my ears_

The house was small, especially according to the size of the family that lived there. It was located in a poorer neighborhood, where all the houses were close to each other and looked like the same design and layout except for a few differences here and there. Rows of cars were already parked, filling up the small driveway and a length down the road. Guessing by observation, the house was going to be packed. Lance had to park at the end of the line in front of someone else’s house.

“I kind of feel bad for the neighbors.” Keith muttered as he hopped out of the car.

Lance huffed, “Why? They only have to walk over to the house, the rest of us have to drive.”

The face Keith sent Lance was one of confusion, following the melt into realization.

Given this new information, Keith concurred that the house was going to be _packed._

“C’mere,” Lance said and he walked over to Keith, and began fiddling with his tie.

Keith looked everywhere besides at Lance’s face, located directly in front of him, as he was made presentable. After the knot was finished, Lance ran a hand down Keith’s chest and shoulder, straightening out his shirt and brushing any dust off. After grooming the boy, Lance stepped back with a smile.

“Ready?”

Keith nodded his head weakly, “Yeah.”

Even though it was cold out, there were four men standing on the porch, chatting and laughing. When Lance passed them, they shared a grin and a greeting. Lance introduced Keith, who waved but didn’t speak, and then walked inside.

The doorway lead straight into a sitting room, where a group of women sat, probably around ten or so. They all ranged from newborns to old ladies, and sat in a circle-like group, some littered on the floor, some sitting in couches and chairs, all listening to the conversation of a few of the women. When Lance walked in, they looked up with smiles.

“Look who finally decided to make it!” Yelled one woman, probably a few years older than the two. She immediately stood up and engulfed Lance in a hug, “I missed you, kid! How have you been?”

Lance grinned, “Not much, just school-oof!”

Lance was cut off as a small girl grabbed him by the knees. She wore a giant smile that was missing a few teeth.

“Haha! Pequeño monstruo!” Lance smiled and then picked up the girl and put her on his hip, “You scared me!”

“Look, Lance!” The girl said, grabbing the corners of her lips with her fingers and began barring her teeth, “I lost two teeth last week!”

“Whoa! Two?”

“Yeah, Rosalyn pushed me off the swingset,”

“ _What?_ ” Lance’s eyes widened, “Why?”

“I told her to!”

“Oh my god,”

All this time, Keith was standing awkwardly behind Lance. Why did he agree to this? Keith hardly liked going out with his friends, much less a large group of people where he didn’t know anyone except the one person who he was sure to cling to like a monkey the entire time. Unluckily for him, the older woman standing by Lance took notice of this.

“Who is this, Lance?” She said with way too much amusement in her voice.

“Oh, yeah! This is Keith,” Lance turned to Keith and then gestured to the woman, “Keith, this is my big sister, Laura, and this,” he began tickling the stomach of the little girl in his arms, “this little monster is my youngest sister, Eva.”

The girl giggled and wiggled until she was out Lance’s arms and back on the floor. Once she landed on her feet, she beamed up at her big brother.

“Mama is probably looking for you,” Laura said, “Go find her,”

Lance nodded and gestured for Keith to follow him. The two sisters retreat back into the conversation.

As they walk, Keith said, “Are all those women related to you as well?”

Lance smiled, “No. I mean, some of them are aunts, cousins, and what not, but a lot of them are just neighbors, in laws, and family friends. When we gather we _really_ gather.”

They walked through the house some more and Lance was always getting hellos, and ‘who is this’. Keith swears he has been introduced a dozen times now and they hadn’t even reached the kitchen.

When they do end up in the kitchen, it turns out he doesn’t need one. An older man, with graying hair and a similar colored mustache, a woman hovered over a counter full of food with two similar-looking teenagers.

“Mijo!” Said the woman when she saw Lance, and immediately wrapped the boy in a hug, though she was on her tip-toes, she only came up to his shoulder. The man however, when he came to embrace Lance, only beat him in height by a hair.

“Good to see you, son,” The man smiled, wrinkles appeared around his eyes.

Lance smiled, “Good to see you too. Whoa, what happened to your hand?”

His father shrugged, his hand was bandaged around his fingers, “Got caught outside for too long with the boys yesterday, got myself a bit of frostbite.”

“Really?” Lance looked worried, “Are you okay?”

He nodded, “Fine, fine. Those damn nurses made me stay in the hospital overnight though, I got home this morning just in time for your mother to shout my ear off. I blamed the witch.”

Lance grinned, “That damn witch at it again. But, hey, Keith and I are doing a project on frostbite! We can use you as a primary source! Oh, by the way-” Lance took a few steps and grabbed Keith but the hand, tugging him closer to where the greeting were happening, “Keith, this is my mama and dad, oh and in the back, we have my little brother and sister, Rosalyn and Julian. Mama, Dad, this is-”

“Keith, oh we know,” Lance’s mother smiled, holding out her hand, “It’s nice to finally meet you, my name is Elisa.”

Sending a quick side-eye to Lance, Keith accepted her gesture, “Nice to meet you too, ma’am.”

Elisa smiled and said to her son, “He’s a good one, Lance.”

Lance gave his mother a wide-eyed look with a unconvincing smile, “ _Mama,_ ”

“Yes, son?” She smiles innocently.

Lance shook his head disapprovingly, then gestured to Keith, “Come on, let’s get away from these traitors.”

“Oh...kay?” Keith said.

“You’re so overdramatic, Lance,” Said the mother, “Dinner will be ready soon, don’t be late or you’ll have to sit at the kid’s table again.”

Keith laughed quietly, “You had to sit at the kid’s table?”

“Yes! When I was a kid!” Lance turned on his heel and stomped out of the kitchen, “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

Keith and Elisa shared a smile, then he followed after Lance. Instead of joining one of the groups, the men outside or the women in the living room, Lance walked down the hall and opened the door to one of the bedrooms.

“What are we doing?”

Lance waved Keith in the room then closed the door behind them, “I’m checking out what Julian did to our bedroom now that he gets it to himself.”

If you had ever seen a teenage boy’s room, then you can imagine what Julian’s room looked like. A bit messy, but more disorganized than unclean. Clothes littered the floor, and poster hung up on the wall. It was an awfully small room as well, smaller than any room Keith had ever had. He couldn’t imagine fitting more than one person in here.

“Have you ever had your own room?” Keith found himself asking.

Lance shook his head, “Not until now that I’m in the apartment with Hunk.”

“So you’ve never had a room to yourself?” Keith asked, stunned.

Lance shrugged, “I mean, yeah, a few times when Julian was out, at a sleepover or something. Or, when he was in the hospital. Though, I didn’t really want my own room at the time, you know? It was too quiet.”

“How long was he in the hospital? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“It’s cool, he was there for a week. But that wasn’t the longest. A lot of my siblings have been in the hospital.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah,” Lance nodded, he took a seat on his brother’s bed, and patted the spot next to him, “Have a seat and I’ll tell you the story of the evil witch that plagues my family.”

“Okay…?” He complied.

“So we’re a pretty unlucky bunch,” Lance begins, “When my mom and dad met it was on this crazy cruise trip, right? They were both there working on the ship as like, waiters or something, and the boat ended up _sinking_ . They saved each other by making one of the tables into a floatation device.  It was insane. Anyway, flash forward a few years on their wedding day, and _everything_ went wrong. The pastor freaking _died_ , Mama’s sister goes into labor that morning, it starts raining, Dad suddenly gets really sick. If you can imagine it going wrong it did. It was like the universe was telling them no over and over again. But, they were still in love, and nothing was going to stop that. So they ended up going to the nearest courthouse and getting married anyway.”

“Wow,” Keith said.

“Yeah. Doesn’t end there. Then they get pregnant with their oldest, my big sister Laura. Mama says it was the worst pregnancy she’s ever had and she has five kids. Awful morning sickness, weird ass cravings, and to make it better, Laura decides to come way too early than she was supposed to. Which, looking now, makes sense cause Laura is impatient as hell.”

Keith laughed, “I bet you were just as bad.”

Lance smirked, “That’s where you are wrong. Apparently every one of Mama’s pregnancies were like that, weird cravings, awful pains, the whole nine yard, except for me. I was a perfect angel. Came on the exact due date and everything.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Ask her!” Lance huffed proudly, “Anyway, things don’t end there. My family has been unlucky, right? Just random bad things happen at the beginning of every year, we got robbed one year, the house burned down when I was seven, both my grandparents died in the span of two months, things just happen. But we deal with that. What hurts really bad is when my siblings get put in the hospital.”

Keith was silent, but urged Lance to continue.

“Laura was born premature, and so was Rosalyn. Eva was born not-breathing and Julian had to be born via C-section. When Rosalyn was six, she got bit by a spider and was stuck in the hospital for three days as they controlled the infection. That was scary, she was so little but her whole leg was swollen and red. I was only thirteen at the time, so it was really scary to see my sister like that,”

When Keith was thirteen he was bitten by a snake.

“Then, about three years ago, Laura was in a really bad car accident. Like, she tumbled off a cliff kinda bad. What made it worse was...it wasn’t necessarily an accident? She was alone and all, but...anyway, she spent a good eight months in different hospitals, recovering from it all. She’s a lot better now.”

When Keith was seventeen years old, he took his bike and fell off a cliff.

Lance brought his knee to his chest when he talked about this one, “Then, two years back, Laura wasn’t even out of the hospital, Eva almost drowned while we were out on the lake for vacation. It probably wouldn’t have hurt her as much, but she was barely six years old and just recently diagnosed with asthma. She was in the hospital for two days, but it was just one of those things, you know? That you knew you could’ve stopped, but...that damn witch. Anyway,”

Two years ago, Keith died by drowning.

“And then not even a year ago, Julian had his crash from diabetes. So yeah. My family is a mess bro. Sorry if I put all this on you suddenly, I just think it’s something important to know about my family.”

Not even a year ago, Keith died from being poisoned, then resulted with a tic that affected his blood sugar.

It was a coincidence. It all was a coincidence.

It had to be.

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

“Have you ever had a near-death experience?”

Lance grinned, “Nah, I’m the exception. The family curse doesn’t affect me. Sometimes I think maybe I’m adopted. Or just lucky. Have you?”

“Oh, uh, well-”

Julian opened the door and said, “Hey, get out of my room.”

“Oh please,” Lance huffed, “Don’t let having your own room get to your head,”

“Already has,” Julian grinned, “Mama told me that you need to get your butts in the dining room or you are going to lose your spot at the table,”

“I don’t THINK so! Come on, Keith! Quick!”

Keith smiled then followed Lance to the dining room. The table was large and filled up most of the room, but it still did not seat everyone so some people had gathered in the living room, where another was set up. Keith took notice of the small round table right besides the large one as the kid’s corner. Little Eva was sitting there along with a few other children.

“Where are you sitting, Julian?” Lance asked, “Did you finally move up with the big kids?”

Julian grimaced, “No. I’m sitting in the living room with Rosalyn so we don’t have to.”

“Did you check your sugar?” Lance asked.

“Shoot, no.” Julian turned to Keith, “Hey, don’t you have type one too? If you don’t mind my asking.”

 _Shit._ Keith thought. What the fuck had he gotten himself into, he had totally forgotten, “Yeah,” He said, unconvincingly, “I forgot my kit.”

“Damn. Hey, Julian,” Lance spoke to his brother, “Can he use yours?”

Julian nodded, “Definitely, the needles are disposable anyway, we always keep them stocked. Do you need to…?”

Keith couldn’t help but to nod, it was the easiest thing to do. He didn’t know how to explain if he didn’t, “Yeah, if you have extra.”

“For sure, follow me.” Julian headed towards the kitchen.

With Lance assuring him that he’ll save his spot, the two go to a counter that is stocked full of different supplies, a few unopened boxes of Lantus, a trash can specialized for used needles, and a stack of juice boxes.

Julian whipped everything he needed out like it was nothing as he chatted at Keith. The 16 year old looked a lot like Lance, except curlier hair, the dash of freckles across his face, and the darker eye color. He talked a lot like his older brother as well.

“Soooo,” The boy said as he cleaned his index finger with a wipe after the prick, “You’ve been hanging out with Lance a bunch lately,”

“Yeah,” Keith shrugged, “We’re lab partners,”

Julian smirked, throwing the needle in the bucket and writing down his blood sugar on a daily calendar that was hanging up on the wall. There were numbers fluctuating from 70 to 210. It looked like he marked his blood sugar for every meal, and then once in between meals, once at night and in the morning. In all, he seemed to check his sugar at least seven times a day.

Keith took the meter from Julian and began working on unwrapping one of the tiny needles, while he was doing so, he took a look that Julian’s fingers. You could tell which one he used the most because there were tiny, but still noticeable bruises dotting the skin.

“Is that...all you two are?” Julian asked, signature eyebrow raised that must run in the family.

Keith winced slightly as he pricked his finger then said, “I-I think so?”

“Ooooooh. You _think_ so?”

“y-Yes?”

“Good to know, good to know.”

Keith’s sugar was fine, as he had assumed. Julian’s was a little low, but nothing that a juice box couldn’t fix and they were both ready to eat.

Lance was beaming when Keith sat by him, and he eagerly asked how he was doing. Keith nodded, and replied he was fine. Which, only made Lance smile wider.

Who knew someone could make you feel...lighter with just a look.

The warming smile suddenly fell to an annoyed scowl with Julian came over and whispered something in his older brother’s ear. As a blush and a frown creeped over Lance’s expression, he turned and stabbed Julian with his fork. This made Julian shout, Elisa scold her sons, and Keith smirk.

“Behave yourselves, boys,” Elisa warned, “Lance, I do not care if you are twenty years old, I WILL put you at the child’s table.”

“But, _Mama!”_ Lance whined, “He started it! And I have a guest! I can’t leave him alone, that’s bad manners.”

Laura, who was sitting besides a man who must’ve been her husband, laughed loudly, “Who knows? Maybe we will like Keith better and he’ll permanently replace you.”

“What? This guy?” Lance said with jeering in his tone but a grin on his face.

The rest of the dinner fell similarly to the beginning. Banter, teasing, some words Keith didn’t understand (and some words Keith did understand because he took two years of Spanish like the most of the American population, come on people) were tossed around the table. There seemed to be at least three conversations happening at a time. Not used to all the commotion, Keith focused on Lance.

After the dinner, they stayed for another few hours. The yearly outfit winners were announced (which was basically just a mini fashion show of a handful of people strutting and making fools of themselves. Lance tried to get Keith to join him in his walk, but he refused) and of course, Elisa won in her orange flower-print dress. Lance and Keith got a solid second place.

It was almost midnight when the two boys got into the car to leave. Keith checked his phone. He had one missed call from Shiro.

“Did you have a good time?” Lance asked almost hesitantly.

Keith nodded, “Your family is really cool.”

Lance shrugged as he began driving, “They’re alright-” Lance trailed off as Keith let out a long yawn, attempting to hide it in his sleeve, “Ready to go home? You seem tired.”

Pressing his hand on the home button, Keith re-lights up his phone, looking down at the missed call. In a moment of thought while not thinking, he blurts, “Is it okay if you don’t take me home?”

Lance glances at Keith out of the corner of his eye, “Is everything alright?” He asked, not for the first time that night.

“I just…” Keith didn’t know, “I don’t really want to go home right now.”

“Okay? Um, where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know?”

“Did you and Shiro like...get in a fight or something?” Lance asked.

Keith took a moment to say, “Something like that.”

Lance nodded. It was quiet for a moment, the conversation rolling away without a close. Until Lance says, “Do you want to stay at my place?”

“I-” Keith did. Keith would love to stay at Lance’s place. That wasn’t exactly what he was going for when he asked to be taken somewhere else, but really, he had no idea what he was going for anyway so, “Sure. If-if you don’t mind.”

Lance smiled, “No biggie. I have to leave for work at two in the afternoon, but I don’t see that being a problem. And Hunk is out of town, so we have a spare bed.”

“Okay,” Keith said, “Alright.”

“Do you need to stop by your house for anything?”

“No,”

“Okay,” Lance nodded. He turned up the music and they drove the way singing, chatting, and sitting together comfortably like they've been doing so all their lives.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa! Does this mean Lance's family is somehow entangled in Keith's superpower? Is it even a superpower? Or is this all just a big coincidence? Who knows! Get ready to learn a lot more about how Lance's family plays a role in the story! Or doesn't! Who knows!
> 
> Hint: I do. 
> 
> Thank you everyone who reads! Thank you extra for anyone who leaves kudos/comments. Also, listen. If you ever like wanna draw art of this fic I will literally cry from happiness like no joke listen my birthday is coming up guys. This is all I want. So, uh, anyWAY, I love you guys so much, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Have a lovely day, see you soon!
> 
> (I listened to Saint Motel for two hours straight while writing this. My favorite songs are currently Sweet Talk, if you couldn't tell, and Cold Cold Man. In case you wanted to know)


	9. honey, salt, and vinegar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 things happen in this chapter in the forms of honey, salt, and vinegar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: workplace harassment, catcalls, and inappropriate sexual language

_Honey_

For a moment, Lance felt like he had stayed at his mother’s house when he woke up. As if he was twelve years old, slowly becoming aware to the world around him on a Saturday morning. Awake, but he laid still with his eyes closed, in little hurry to begin the day as he had no where important to be anytime soon.  A few serene minutes pass as he soaked in the warmth of the bed and the faint sound of cartoon voices in the background. Debating whether or not he should fall back asleep or get up and catch the next episode of  _Kim Possible._

Wait...were those sounds real?

In his dazed state, he couldn’t make out the words, but definitely knew by the funny sound effects and the exaggerated tones that proved a cartoon was playing.

Lance blinked his eyes opened and turned to face the sound.

He wasn’t surprised to see Keith in his bed, facing away from him. He wasn’t shocked to see him shirtless, able to see the faint indent in his back where his spine rested below his skin, complementing the lean but noticeable muscles padding his shoulders and upper arms. He wasn’t startled when he realized the noise had been from Keith’s phone, meaning that he was awake.

None of these observations fazed him. Not only had he invited Keith to stay at his house, but when they were ready to go to sleep, Lance blurted out the fact that they could share the same bed for the night. You know, only if Keith wanted to.

What really surprised him was how quickly Keith agreed.

“Hey,” Lance mumbled quietly.

It was amusing to Lance how Keith jumped a little bit at the sound of his voice. Then, he rolled over a little so he was laying on his back, head facing Lance.

“Oh hey,” Keith said, “Sorry if I woke you.”

“Nah, you’re fine.” Lance responded then asked, “Whatcha watching?”

“A video my uncle sent me.” Keith pressed the side button to black out his phone, “It was something I used to make him watch when I was a bit younger.”

“Whatever he did, he’s sorry, you know,” Lance said.

Keith looked at him curiously, “How do you…?”

“I texted him last night, told him where you were.” Lance said. While he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, he shot Shiro a text to let him know that his nephew was in good hands.

Keith grumbled, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Were you going to?”

“...no.”

“Mmhmm.” Lance sat up and stretched, hands reaching far over his head. Lance pretended he didn’t see Keith staring up at him, but he definitely did and was basking in the subtle attention, “I’m gonna go wash up. Feel free to start raiding the fridge. We should at least have Eggos or something.”

With that, Lance left Keith to his own devices in his room.

Lance didn’t take too long, taking a few minutes to complete a simple morning face wash and freshen up for the day. When he got back to his room, Keith wasn’t there.

So Lance took the moment to change into his work uniform, a blue polo and khaki shorts. His work uniform for his second job, that is.

Lance worked as a lifeguard at Balmera fitness center part time, of course, we all knew this. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always pay, the hours simply aren’t enough. As much as he complained, he enjoyed working at Balmera; lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons sometimes. Familiar and friendly, all things that made him hesitant to quit the job altogether. So like many people trying to make ends meet, he picked up a second job.

It wasn’t difficult for him to get the job. He applied, went to the interview, and within the day they wanted him to start working. At the time, it was a happy occasion. His mother worked there as well, so he got to see her on his breaks.

In the beginning, his mother didn’t want him to apply. But back then he was 19 years old and planning on moving out soon. She couldn’t really tell him no. She had been working at the casino for over a decade. If she hadn’t quit by now, how was she supposed to tell her son not to take the job?

Galra Casino and Hotel was the most popular casino in the area. Also being the only one in the area. It stood as a place of riches, entertainment, and was the top spot to sneak away to. Can’t find your husband? Check the casino, sometimes people got lost in there for hours without realizing how much time has passed. Lance’s mother worked in housekeeping, but she hadn’t always. She had a higher position, but due to some unknown circumstances, she was moved from that to cleaning guest’s bedrooms. She never told anyone why, and since it was so long ago, they thought it was rude to mention it. It was in the past.

Lance first began working in housekeeping as well. He had no problem with the work. But a week after he began, his managers saw something in him, and he was placed to work in the pool. Not as a lifeguard like he was at Balmera, but more like pool maintenance. He stacked towels, took out the trash, wiped windows, and made sure everyone was following the rules. It was a mind-numbing job. A job that he wasn’t particularly fond of. He soon found out what that something special that his manager’s had saw in him was: Lance was eye candy. Galra Casino didn’t share Balmera’s family-like, comfortable atmosphere. He dealt with drunk rich people on a daily basis, ones who had no filter when it came to seeing something they liked.

So yeah, maybe he felt uneasy every time he came into work. Still, they gave him hours and paid well, and it was an really easy gig to get. Money was money and god knows he needed it.

Once changed, he walked to the kitchen to find Keith standing in front of cabinets, staring at the limited choices of food.

Keith looked...nice. Standing in his kitchen, shirtless, wearing Lance’s sweatpants, hair messy, still sleepy. Lance didn’t decide his next move, he didn’t think about it. He just did it.

He walked over to Keith and wrapped his arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. Keith tensed for a moment, nearly jumping in surprise. He didn’t relax until Lance leaned forward enough to rest his chin on his shoulder. Only then did Keith allow himself to rest against Lance. Lance let out a slow breath and was surprised how warm Keith was.

“I like you,” Keith said suddenly. Not that it was unprompted, but it came across very blunt.

“Oh?” Lance looked up to try to see Keith’s face from the angle, “I mean. I like you too.”

“Cool.” Keith said.

Nodding his head, Lance pulled away. He moved back and hopped up on the counter, so he was facing Keith, “So, uh. For how long?”

Keith leaned on the counter and crossed his arms, “I don’t really know? A little while….you?”

Lance smirked, “Since forever, bro. Do you remember being in high school together?”

“What?”

“Didn’t think so. Eleventh grade Geometry?”

The blank expression on Keith’s face slowly altered as his mouth formed a little ‘o’. “That was _you?_ ”

Lance grinned, “The one and only.”

“You were so _annoying_!”

“ _Annoying_?” Lance said, offended, “Excuse me! I was going through a gay crisis because of you!”

“You wrote me a note that said ‘ _Get out of my school_ ’ and never talked to me again!”

“It was a really bad crisis!”

Keith laughed and shook his head. Lance couldn’t help but to smile from the sight. Once Keith quieted, he leaned his elbow on the counter, his other hand hanging softly at his side. He eyed Lance’s hand, resting on the counter top as he said, “So...we both like each other…”

“Yes, that seems like it’s the current scenario,” Lance teased.

“So…” Keith wouldn’t meet Lance’s eyes, “Do you want to…?”

“Date?” Lance finished.

Keith nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Keith smiled, “Cool. I mean...there are probably some things we need to talk about. You know, learn about each other a bit more?”

“I agree. I’m gonna take you to a fancy dinner.”

Keith looked surprised, “You don’t have to do that.”

“Why not? I want to take my beautiful boyfriend on a date and learn everything about him. What’s so wrong about that?”

Keith bit his lip, “You’re ridiculous.”

“You signed up for this. Literally, you did. Just now. No take backsies.”

“I don’t plan on it.”

Lance grinned and hopped off the counter, “Okay! I think it has been a productive as hell morning, but I have to work soon, so how about we make some breakfast, babe?”

“Oh god do not.”

“What? You don’t like petnames, sweetheart?”

“Stop,” Keith was laughing.

Lance inched closer to Keith, hugging him from behind again and nuzzling his face in Keith’s neck, tickling him with each laugh, “Come on, don't be like that! We can make some pancakes with honey, honey?”

Keith was cackling by the time he turned over in Lances, arms. Lance's arm were wrapped against his waist, hands resting on the warm skin of his back. Keith's hands were resting on Lance's chest against the soft fabric of his polo shirt. 

They stopped and made eye contact. There was something about this that felt...right, you know? Like this had been meant to happen, that it was a crime that they had waited so long.

So there was no second guessing on Keith’s part when he grabbed Lance’s shirt and pulled him down to meet his lips. There was nothing slow about this kiss, instead they made the most of a short amount of time, dancing around the other's comfort in a mingled duet of taking risks and being cautious. They ended up not having time for breakfast, still they felt sweeter than any honey could. 

 

 

  _Salt_

Later, when Keith walked into his house after Lance dropped him off, he stormed to Shiro. His uncle had cleared himself a place in the living room. Laptop resting on his lap, feet kicked up on the table in front, sea salt chips leaning against his thigh. When Keith came into the room, he replaced his relaxed position with sudden urgency to be able to talk to his nephew.

“Keith, hey-”

He was cut off when Keith announced with a puffed chest, “I’m going to tell Lance. I’m going to tell him but I need your help."

"Can we please talk about what happened?"

"Will you help me?”

“Yes,” was Shiro’s reply.

 

 

  _Vinegar_

Late into the evening, Lance sat at lunch with his coworker. He said to her, “Have you ever thought about quitting?”

She replied, “All the time.”

There was something wrong about the casino, something off. Not just suddenly, but always. He felt stuck.

“Why haven’t you?” He asked her.

She looked at her food, a balanced meal of a grilled chicken breast and side salad, along with a coffee to keep her awake, and she wore a contorted look appeared on her face, “I-I don’t-”

Someone came up behind him, and slapped their hands on Lance’s shoulders, and started rubbing, “Hey pretty boy,”

This happened often.

Lance didn’t say anything, just kept his head down. His coworker did the same.

“Looking good today, Lance.” The man cooed. He was another employee who worked down with the laundry department. He spoke to Lance’s coworker, “You too, sexy.”

“We’re trying to eat,” Lance said, but the grip on his shoulders tightened.

“No need to be like that, I’ll see you around,” The man said, with a final pat, then walked away.

This wasn’t new, and the man wasn’t the only one. Once the two were finished eating, they walked down the hallway, kept to themselves as catcalls were flung at them back and forth by employees and guest alike until they reached the hotel’s pool.

“Hey! C’mere!” One of the guests shouted from the hot tub.

“I got it,” Lance volunteered.

His coworker looked at him with a worried expression, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, can you go check and see if the towels are stacked?” Lance grinned politely.

The girl was younger than him, and didn’t need to be subjected to this. Lance tried to save her from the worst of it.

He walked over to the guest, hands shoved in the pockets of his khakis.

The guest was an older lady, relaxing in the Jacuzzi with two other women. They had mischievous looks on their faces when he approached them. Who knows, maybe they just wanted to know when the pool closed or where the restroom was. Like normal people.

“So, we were wondering how old you were,” The lady asked.

Alas, he was never right.

Lance sighed, “I’m twenty.”

The lady grinned, “Oh? So old enough to join us?”

Lance forced a small smile and said, “No, ma’am, I have a job to do.”

“Oh, come on. They shouldn’t have such a pretty boy like you doing this work. You should be working in the bar, or, even better, you should be dancing on one of those poles in the club. I’d pay good money to see that, wouldn’t you, girls?”

They all giggled, and Lance retreated politely.

He met up with his coworker, who was folding towels and had been watching the interaction with a bitter expression, “You okay?” She asked him.

Lance shrugged and began helping, “Just a bunch of gross old ladies.”

She nodded, “I’d wish they’d just leave us alone. I’m literally here to stack towels and then go home.”

“Same here. Oh hey, I have a boyfriend now."

"Really? When'd that happen?"

"Like, this morning. Do you think if I tell them that they'd leave me alone?"

The girl's face twisted, "That you have a boyfriend? You and I both know that's only gonna make it worse."

"Yeah..." As if a recurring itch, something felt wrong. More wrong than the catcalls and insults. Lance asked his coworker, “Hey, your family works here too, right?”

“Uh huh, my dad and my grandpa.”

“Huh. Do you realize that all the workers have family who also work here?”

She thought for a moment, “Yeah. Family business I guess?” She continued with, “Hey, you remember Justin? Who got fired last week?”

“Yeah,” Lance remembered. Justin was a good worker, but he’s been wanting to quit ever since he was offered a better job. He didn’t do anything to get fired, but one day, he was simply gone with no warnings.

“His dad doesn’t work here anymore either, he was fired too.” She commented, “He was head of security, he’s been working there for twenty five years. Me and Justin were talking a lot too, but he hasn't replied to me. That’s weird, right?”

“Yeah.” Lance thought, “That’s weird.”

The day came and went. At the end of it, Lance was able to meet up with his mother. It was almost midnight and he was walking out while she was taking her lunch break.

“Hey, Mama,” Lance said, walking with her to the employee cafeteria, “Grandpa worked here before you did, right?”

She nodded, casually looking through her wallet to fish out cash for the vending machine.  “Why are you asking silly questions, mijo?” She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

Lance snorted in innocence and put his hands up, “Psssh, no reason, just, ya know, curious. So like, what happened to your old job? Why’d you get fired and put in housekeeping?”

“Lance, I thought that was behind us-”

“I know I’m not supposed to bring it up, but I think something really weird is going on around here!” Lance lowered his voice, “And that’s why you didn’t want me to get the job!”

“ _Lance!_ ” She chastised. She looked around, “Stop this right now.”

Lance quieted, and watched silently as his mother bought herself a bottle of apple cider vinegar. She didn’t meet Lance’s eyes as she put in the cash, waited for the machine to find the number she had punched in, and when she collected the drink.

She didn’t look at him when he told her, “I want to quit.”

What she did do was shake her head, and in a sudden wave of anger said, “You will not.”

“Why not?” Lance fed off his mother’s aura. He wasn’t really mad at her, instead confused and frustrated.

“Because-because it’s selfish! Irresponsible! This is your job, you-you-”

“You didn’t want me to get it anyway! You know how they treat me here!”

Around them, some eyes had trailed over to the noise, and were watching the two.

Noticing this, Lance’s mother ducked her head, then said, lower, calmer, “Please, son. Go home.”

“ _Mama,”_ Lance pleaded, “What are you hiding?”

“Lance. Go home.” Then, with no more words exchanged, she walked away, staring down at her feet, trying to blend in with her surroundings.

Lance stuck out like a sore thumb, and felt like one too. He tried not to make eye contact with anyone as he mimicked his mother, eyes to the ground, hunched over, and walked quickly out of the room, then out of the building, and drove home.

Maybe it was his superstitions, maybe it was his dislike of the casino, but if Lance was anything it was stubborn. If there was history here, something that had gone awry, he would figure it out. He had no idea what he would do with the information, but sometimes knowledge can do just as much good if it’s only known, and not used.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KISSES! I promise you will get your fill of detailed klance kisses soon. I thought it was best to leave the part where they get together to be casual because that's how it is sometimes, ya know? Not everything has to be so complicated, we have the rest of the story to do that. Thought it'd be nice to give you guys something easily. 
> 
> Speaking of me being not nice, oh no, Lance's job SUCKS. Is it just a bad workplace or...is it something more?
> 
> Stay tuned to see how the casino plays a part in this story as well! You are probably asking, what? Another thing? Lance's family and Keith's collections connecting was enough! How in the world can a grummy casino have a part in this wacky story? 
> 
> I promise, it will all tie up in one pretty, kinda-makes-sense bow! Eventually! Stick with me until then!
> 
> Like the concept of this story? Wanna talk about it more? Ask questions? Give me any ideas you have about it? Have your own ideas for something you would like to do regarding this concept? Wanna talk about the bagel you had for breakfast?  
> You can do this all this and more by hitting me up on tumblr @ [somethingaboutklance](https://somethingaboutklance.tumblr.com/)


	10. bantam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the most important choices are the ones we don't realize we are making. 
> 
> the most impinging choices are the ones we deliberately make, but there is little to no consequence, positive or negative.
> 
> the most influential choices are the ones someone else made for us.

“Can you feel that?” Allura pressed a small ice cube against Keith’s forearm.

“I feel the pressure, but not the cold.” Keith said.

Allura nodded and then dropped the piece of ice back in a cup and picked up a rag she had soaked in hot water. She placed the rag against Keith's arm, “How about this?”

“Yeah, I can tell it’s warm.”

“Fascinating.”

“I’ve been having to remind him to take a coat with him, and not to wash the dishes with cold water.” Shiro mentioned.

“I wonder at what point he stops feeling the cold," Pidge thought.

“Excellent proposition for study, Pidge,” Allura agreed then turned to Hunk, “Hunk, there is a condition like there where the person does not feel pain. Do you know what it’s called?”

“Oo!” Hunk exclaimed, “I know this one! It’s, uhh, oh! It’s called Congenital Insensitivity to Pain. It’s really rare, but it’s basically that they can’t feel any physical pain _ever_.  Which sounds cool but is definitely not when you are a baby, because if you can't feel pain, you don't what that there is anything wrong. Most kids don't make it.”

“Excellent recollection, Hunk,” Allura said, ever the teacher.

“You guys didn’t answer my question,” Keith said, referring to the question that he had asked the moment he had walked into the room. A question everyone more or less ignored. 

So he repeated himself, “What’s the best way to tell Lance?”

Their chatter fell quiet. They looked at each other awkwardly as they waited for someone to speak first.

“That’s a...loaded question, Keith,” Hunk grimaced.

“It’s hard to say what is the...best way,” Pidge continued, “It’s not going to be a smooth conversation no matter how you word it.”

Allura nodded. She didn’t speak to Keith but instead said, “Shiro, how do you feel about this?”

Shiro was in his usual spot, leaning up against the door, “It’s my not secret to tell, or mine to guard. If Keith trusts Lance, then I trust him too. We should help him anyway we can.”

Biting her lip, Allura nodded, “I suppose you are right.”

Sending Shiro a silent nod of gratitude, Keith said, “I feel like he has to know, more than anyone. I think he’s connected to all of this.”

“How is that?” Coran asked.

“Yes, what do you mean?” Allura crossed her arms and waited.

Keith explained, “You’ve noticed it too. When I’m around him, my tics stop. I’m normal again, and we can’t figure out why. And I met his family. Everyone in his family has had near death experiences besides him. His sister got bit by a spider the same time I got bit by a snake, his brother got diagnosed with diabetes the same time I was poisoned. It all matches up perfectly.”

Coran twisted his mustache, “That’s extremely peculiar, are you sure it isn’t just coincidence?”

“His father got frostbite the exact same day I did. It can’t be.”

Hunk rubbed his head, “Oh my god, you are right! I can’t believe I didn’t realize the pattern earlier. Actually, nevermind, it’s fine because it’s totally weird that it relates. That makes no sense at all.”

“Well, what does that mean? Why Lance’s family?” Pidge asked.

“That’s what we need to figure out. I…” Keith dropped his head, “I don’t want their hardships to be my fault.”

“Maybe it’s not your fault,” Pidge shrugged, “Maybe it’s their fault that you have this.”

Shiro was quiet, but he tapped his finger against his prosthetic arm. Allura and him shared a glance, then Allura sighed, “This will be more difficult than we first expected, but...telling Lance could be useful. If you two are really connected, we might be able, with his consent, use that in our studies. We might finally get the answers we are looking for.”

“This will be so cool!” Hunk agreed, “Lance could come to all of our meetings!”

“Oh, _I see_ ,” Pidge taunted, “Keith just wants to hang out with his _booooyfriend_!”

Keith’s face grew scarlet-red, “He’s not my-!” He then smiled giddily and whispered, “He _is_ my boyfriend.”

“WHAT? When did this happen?” Pidge screeched.

“Tell us everything!” Allura cooed.

“Is this why-” Shiro questioned.

“I knew it!” Coran rejoiced.

“What you guys didn’t know?” Smirking to himself, Hunk said, “Man, I came home the other day to Lance just raving about it. I love the guy, but I had to cut him off because he wouldn’t stop talking and I had to sleep.”

Keith perked up. He ignored everyone else’s cheers and questions to ask Hunk, “He did? What did he say?”

Pidge shot up on her tiptoes and grabbed Keith by the ear, “Oh no, no. You aren’t getting out of this that easily, spill it.”

“Look at the time,” Keith checked his wrist for a watch that he didn’t have on, “We really gotta go.”

“Fine!” Pidge whipped out her phone, “I’ll just ask Lance, then.”

“Wait no-”

“Too late.”

“Pidge, don’t-”

“Should’ve while you had the chance.”

A millisecond after Pidge sent off a text, all of their phones rang simultaneously with a similar message in their group chat, recently named  _Kingdom of Keith Sucks._

 **Monarch** (4:02pm): hey lan are u and Keef boyfriends now

To which Lance replied instantly with: 

 **Squire** (4:02pm): KEITH DIDN’T TELL YOU GUYS?!?!?!

“Oh god,” Keith groaned while Pidge snickered.

 **Squire** (4:03pm): WE ARE DATING. HE’S MY BOYFRIEND. ISN’T THAT AWESOME. THAT’S SO AWESOME ISN’T IT. WOW CAN YOU BELIEVE. HOW AWESOME THAT IS. HE’S MY BOYFRIEND. I’M HIS BOYFRIEND. WE’RE BOYFRIENDS. WE’RE DATING.

Keith had his head buried in his hands. Pidge was giggling like a madman. Hunk, Allura, and Coran were all cooing in a sublime harmony, singing a note that was no lower than a C-sharp resting at 554.37 hz. 

Shiro walked over and patted Keith on the shoulder.

Looking up for some sympathy, Keith found none. Shiro only grinned and said, “You did this to yourself.”

Keith huffed, “I’m leaving and I’m never coming back.”

“Yes, you will,” Pidge laughed, “You’ll get bored without us. And what are you going to do the next time your body decides it’s go time? Call your boyfriend to come pick you up?”

Keith thought, “Yeah, actually, that’s a good idea. That’s how I can tell him.”

“What.”

“Telling him is too hard.” Keith said, “So I’ll just show him.”

Apparently, today was a day to judge Keith’s decisions, because, once again, everyone gave him a look.

“I’m not sure how well Lance will react to you...dying on him,” Hunk said, “He’s open-minded, but that’s gonna freak him out. Still freaks me out, sometimes.”

“Well, I’m not gonna _die_ on him. I’m saying maybe I can show him my tic, or something like that. Something so he’ll believe me.”

“How will you go to show him your tic if it disappears whenever he’s around?” Coran asked.

Well...Keith hadn’t thought about that, “What if it was just this last tic? I haven’t charted anything since last time.”

“What do you mean you haven’t charted anything?!” Pidge screeched, “Don’t mess with my research, Keith!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Keith scooted over on the hospital bed, distancing himself, “I just havn’t gotten around to it. I need a thermometer to carry around or something. I can’t take my exact temperature on my own.”

“Right!” Allura pulled out an average thermometer that you would find in any household from of her cabinets, “Use this one. And let’s say that you take it...five times a day? Be sure to right down the temperature of the room or area you are in as well.”

Keith grumbled, “I hate homework.”

“And Keith,” Allura pursed her lips, “Have you ever thought...that if you are really connected to Lance...that it may be dangerous for you to be around him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, every time you collect, a member of Lance’s family experiences something similar. I’m just...concerned about what if it catches up to him?”

“I won’t let that happen.”

“I understand, but if you are vulnerable around him, then what happens if a situation happens to the both of you? What if-”

“I won’t let that happen, Allura.” Keith snapped, “Do you not trust me? I’ve been dealing with this a little longer than you have. I know how to take care of myself.”

Shiro stepped in to calm the situation, “All that she’s saying is that you need to be more careful. It seems like this isn’t affecting only you now.”

“I know. I’ll be careful.” Keith sighed. He looked around the room. This had been affecting more than just him for a while. Now it may be that it was directly affecting not just one person, but a whole family.

He wished he knew how to stop it.

 

 

 

Two weeks later, the dreadful day of Monday, December 11th arrived and the project was due in Human Biology. Meaning that they had to present in front of the class, Keith’s worst nightmare.

Lance, however, was a force to be reckoned with. He was bouncing off the walls, ready to go. Keith second guessed his decision to bring them both coffee that morning. He had done so because Lance had worked a solid fourteen hours the day before, six at one job, eight at the other, ending at midnight. Although as it looked, Keith needed the coffee more than his boyfriend did.

“Okay, babe,” Lance said as they walked to their class, “So it goes: my slide, your slide, your slide, video, my slide, your slide, _my_ slide, game, my slide, _final slide_. Do you need the cue cards? I have all mine memorized, but if you still need them, I’ll use mine too. I don’t want us getting different grades because one of us needed cards.”

“I got it,” Keith said, sipping his Macchiato, “Most of it is on the slides, anyway.”

“Yeah, but reading off the slides is almost as bad as having a cue card.”

“I _get_ it.” Keith grumbled, but held no real anger behind his tone.

Lance settled a little bit, stopped worrying over the project and began worrying over Keith, “Hey. Are you nervous?”

Keith sighed into the direct attention, “Kind of? I’m not good at public speaking like you are.”

“If there’s anything we both know that I’m good at, it’s talking,” Lance joked. He lightly punched Keith's shoulder and then traced down Keith’s arm until they were holding hands, “You are gonna do awesome. And if you get too nervous, just look at me and I’ll help you out. I’ll be up there with you the whole time, no worries. We’re gonna do awesome.”

Keith smiled, “Thank you.”

“Come on, say it.”

“Say what?”

“We’re gonna do awesome.”

Keith laughed, “Fine, fine. We’re gonna do _spectacular_.”

“Always gotta one up me, don’t you?” Lance whined with the biggest smile on his face.

 

 

 

They went second, which is always the best way to go when it comes to presentations. Not first, but still early enough so people will forget you even went.

Although in Lance’s eyes, the presentation would be anything but forgetful.

They started with some simple facts, all in an elegantly designed powerpoint, all the titles in a block-like font to look like ice cubes, and included gifs of snow and avalanches. They got through the few first slides with no trouble, then proceeded to show a video about frostbite. Nothing to cool, just something they found on YouTube that fit the bill. More slides about how not to get frostbite later, and they got to their favorite part.

Lance pressed next on the clicker in his hand then turned to a completely black screen except for red letter showing the word 'GAME'. Lance then pulled a villainous grin, “I wanna play a game.”

That got a few giggles around the classroom and basking in the glory, Lance continued, “Keith, would you do the honors?”

Keith nodded, “We need y’all to break up in teams. Doesn’t matter how many people are in each team just as long as everyone has a partner. Uh, go ahead.”

Given the freedom, it took only a moment or so for everyone to be in a team and ready to go. Lance reached for the notebook they had set on the ground and walked around to hand everyone a piece of paper.

As he handed them out, Keith explained, “So we are going through a scenario where you may be subjected to being harmed by frostbite. It’s you and your team’s job to avoid it as much as possible while still getting home safe. Lance and I will be giving you options to choose from. If you make the wrong choice, you will be eliminated. The teams who make it to the end will win.”

Keith looked around the room to see everyone on board, some more competitive people psyching up their teammates, wanting to win. Even the teacher has a smile on her face, ready to see where this goes.  

Lance returns back to the front of the room, sends Keith a wink before going into character. He stands in front of the classroom, hands behind his back and says in a low voice, “You’re walking in the woods. There’s no one around and your phone is dead. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot him…”

“Shia LaBeouf?” A girl in the back snickered.

“EEHH,” Keith made a buzzer sound.

“You’re out!” Lance breaks his serious tone, “You’re dead because you are thinking about memes in an incredibly serious situation, what is _wrong_ with you?”

The room erupted in laughter, even from Keith and Lance themselves. When everyone calmed down, Lance continued, “Okay, but really. You are out by yourself, probably camping or something, you don’t have a phone, and it’s getting dark fast. There’s already snow on the ground and a storm is approaching. You have been hiking by yourself, trying to head to your shelter, which is far away. It's really cold, it's getting windy and you only have two layers of clothes on. And to top the cake, you've lost your gloves, leaving your poor little fingers defenseless.”

Keith picked up where he left off, “You notice that your fingers are getting cold and beginning to have a pricking sensation. What do you do? 1) get out your lighter and use the fire to warm your hands or 2) stick your hands underneath your armpits for warmth.”

People quickly began talking amongst themselves. In a moment Keith says, “Okay, raise your hand if you picked one.”

A couple hands went up, but not too many.

“Raise your hands if you picked two.”

More hands went up.

“Jenny, why did you pick two and not one?” Lance asked a student.

Jenny replied, “Because we should be using the lighter to make a fire, if anything we’ll probably end up burning our fingers in the process.”

“Correct-a-dingo,” Lance grinned, “Yes, the lighter will help warm us up quickly, but not permanently. And if you remember from slide three, once you rewarm frostbite, it has to stay warm or the effects will be way worse. The best thing is to use your own body heat for warmth while you are in the sticky situation. Don’t waste your lighter on a temporary solution…”

“Next scenario,” Keith said, “There was an accident and you slipped on the bridge, falling into the freezing water, soaking your clothes. You are getting closer to your camp, and you have a dry blanket in your pack. Do you 1) take off your clothes and wrap yourself in the blanket, 2) keep your clothes on and wrap yourself in the blanket, or 3) walk the rest of the way with your clothes and use your blanket later.”

This question had a larger reaction than before. It would seem like common sense to leave them on, but little did they know that wet clothes when it came to hypothermia was for sure a deadly situation. Keith was an expert on this in more ways than one. The correct answer was number one. Still, it was fun to see the class bicker back and forth of why their answer was the right one. 

They go on like that for a while, leading them through an makeshift choose-your-own-adventure story until one team, the class getting more into it than Keith and Lance had imagined. Two girls sitting quietly in the back ended up being the last survivors, and won the prize: a gift card to the local snow cone stand. Happy the game went smoothly, the presenters finished up, received a round of applause, and took their seats.

The professor had a smile on her face-a good sign-and said, “I pity whoever has to follow that act. Very well done making your presentation interactive as well as informative.”

Lance verbally thanked the teacher then gave Keith a sun-like smile, saying, “We do make a good team.”

Keith looked to the front of the room and said nothing, but his cheeks hurt from grinning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey friends, sorry this chapter doesn't move along the plot too much. I promise we are getting there, just lay back and enjoy the ride! Or bite your nails in anticipation. Whichever one floats your boat!
> 
> Hope you all are having a wonderful day! It's summertime! Woo! Which means no school (nice) but way more work (ugh). Because there are no such things as breaks! 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading! I adore every comment you all leave, it only makes me want to write more! Thank you!


	11. everybody has everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We know that our bodies suffer from overwork and lack of leisure: anxiety, mental-health issues - we're not designed to work more than about 40 hours a week. Our systems wear out and the quality of the work suffers. After 50 hours, it crashes and burns."  
> -Katrina Onstad
> 
> The art in this fic is created by [catnippackets](https://catnippackets.tumblr.com/)

Norman Greenbaum's  _Spirit In The Sky_ was playing on the speakers as Lance bounced down the hallway. He patted his hand on his thigh and bobbed his head to the song as he carried a stack of towels underneath his other arm.

As he approached the bin, he set the towels down on top and quickly pulled out his phone.

He had thought that it had buzzed, and he was right.

**Keith** (10:24pm):  Are you still at work?

Hiding his phone at his side, he replied:

**Me** (10:26pm): yeh i’m here until midnight y? What up?

Lance started folding towels and sticking them in bins, which was most of his job. He was stuck here by himself tonight and it was quiet. Since they were in the winter season, only a few people stopped by to use the pool.

The walkie talkie at his hip suddenly made a crackling sound as a voice broke through and said, “Hey, pool boy.”

That was his cue.

“Copy,” Lance responded into the walkie.

The staticky voice announced, “Your boss wants to see you, come down to the offices.”

“Be right there.”

Lance finished fixing the towels and then walked the length of the pool once more to check for any litter or potential rule breaking. Not that he was stalling, but he was definitely stalling. Eventually, knowing that he’ll only be in more trouble if he was late, he walked with his eyes to the floor as he went downstairs to the manager's office.

The evening manager sat at his desk. “I need to talk to you about your schedule, Lance.” Prorok said, bored and simply.

“Okay,” Lance nodded, taking a seat, “I turned in my preferred hours on time. I remembered from last time.”

“I’m sure you did.” Prorok’s lip twitched. Let’s just say that last time Lance was late with his time sheet-stating the hours that he could and couldn’t work-he missed a few days of school. Apparently if you don’t turn in your time sheet they will schedule any and sometimes every day and refuse to let you change it.

“That’s not what you are here for,” Prorok continued, “Since we lost someone recently, we need people to cover the holes. So here is your new schedule for the rest of this month.”

Prorok handed Lance a piece of paper. Lance immediately protested, “You have me working on Christmas?!”

Prorok leaned back in his chair lazily, “Yes, I know you requested off, but we simply have to make sacrifices where we can. You must understand.”

“No,” Lance growled, “I don’t understand! That’s the only day I requested off for this entire month! It was promised to me.”

“Are we going to have a problem here?” Prorok sneered.

Lance was quiet but then tried to bargain, “Please, even my mother was able to get off. This would be the first real Christmas we would all be able to have in a long time.”

Prorok seemed anything but interested, “December 25th is just another day, kid. The sooner you learn that, the sooner you will be an actual adult.”

Defeated, Lance rubbed his head, stared down at the schedule and cringed. He asked, “Is there anything else?”

Prorok clicked through his computer and hummed, “No, I don’t think so. That should be all.”

Lance mumbled a quick, “Thanks,” then left, head hung lower than it was the way down.

He checked his phone again.

**Keith** (10:27pm): Okay. Text me when you get home? I know it’s icy and I wanted to make sure you’re safe.

He smiled. At least someone around here cared about him.

**Me** (10:49pm): sure will bby :) :)

**Keith** (10:50pm): don’t call me that.

Lance walked into the breakroom. He set the rotten schedule in his bag and had a seat at the table, kicking his feet up.

**Me** (10:50pm): im gonna have to cycle through petnames til i find the one you are ok with huh

**Keith** (10:51pm): That will never happen so goodfuckingluck

**Me** (10:52pm): shouldn’t u be asleep or sumething

**Keith** (10:52pm): Shouldn’t you be working or something

**Me** (10:52pm): Nah im too busy talking to my beautiful boyfriend

**Keith** (10:53pm) Likewise

Lance huffed and then sent Keith a quick message about it’s lazy to steal his compliments. He stood up, scrolling through his phone, and rubbing the back of his neck.

The phone rings a few times before it’s picked up.

“ _Mama_? Sorry it’s so late…yeah, I’m at Galra. I...yeah, I have some bad news…”

 

 

 

On Christmas Day, Lance worked from 8am to 8pm. A solid twelve hours by himself, attending to the few people who came into the pool on that day. Mostly people who didn’t celebrate Christmas, who were all kind to him regarding it still was a popular holiday. Then there were people who didn’t have anyone to go home to for said holiday, and instead decided to spend it in a casino hotel.

You could imagine the type of people those were.

Still, Lance tried to make best of the situation. He had spent the night at his family’s house, was able to wake up just in time to see Eva’s happy, eight year old, I-still-believe-in-Santa smile when she saw the presents downstairs. But with the 40 minutes it took driving to and back from work, he would miss most of the family meals and celebrations. So he would simply have to have Christmas by himself.

He decorated his uniform to the best of his ability, wearing red reindeer antlers and a green feather boa around his neck. It clashed with the khakis and blue polo, but anyone who saw him would get the point.

Lance was stocking the outside bin with towels, bopping to whatever old 70's song played on the loudspeaker, trying not to think of where else he could be right now.

“Uh, hey, Lance-”

Lance yelped and dropped the towel he was holding, turning around to see who had frightened him.

 

 

“Keith?” Lance asked, “What-what are you doing here?”

Face plastered with a nervous expression, Keith stood in the hallway of Galra Casino Hotel and Resort holding a box. He seemed completely out of place in the pool, wearing a red leather jacket and black jeans.

“I knew that you had to work on Christmas and I didn’t think that was fair. Especially because you love holidays. So...I thought I’d surprise you. Here-”

He shoved the box into his boyfriend’s hands. Lance jutted out his bottom lip.

“Are…” Keith’s eyes widened in panic, “Are you okay?”

Lance grabbed Keith’s wrist, dragging him along behind him.  He took him to through the pool area to a room in a hallway and closed the door behind them.

Keith asked, “Is this the janitor’s closet?” 

Lance didn't answer (by the way, yes, it was the janitor’s closet) instead he grabbed Keith by the cheeks and pulled him in.

Keith makes a muffled sound as Lance kisses him but soon, his tense posture melts. He shifted a bit in an attempt for a more comfortable position, holding Lance by the waist with one hand as the other tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck.

They remained lips locked for a while, mouths opening instantly, all intensity led by Lance. Lance tore away from Keith's lips with a smack and began placing kisses along his jaw.

“Y-you know,” Keith said, breathlessly, “You don’t even know what’s in the box. Could be snakes. Or spiders.”

“It is-” Lance began saying in between kisses left on his boyfriend’s skin, “just-so-cute.” Lance met Keith face to face and grinned, “You came to my job to give me a present on Christmas. That’s the sweetest thing in the whole world.”

Keith was blushing for a dozen reasons, “It’s nothing, really. Shiro didn’t have much planned, since we were at his parent’s house yesterday. Just thought I’d stop by. ”

“I’m really glad you did.” Lance hummed.

Since Lance was so close to Keith’s neck already, the gulp was quite noticeable, “Uh, yeah. Me too.”

Lance gave Keith one more long kiss then pulled away and went to the box that he had been holding his hand.

“Hope you like it,” Keith said.

“Oh hush,” Lance began opening the box, and pulling out what was inside.

Inside the present was an assortment of items. Keith could not decide what would be best to give Lance so he simply bought them all. Inside were:

  1. Nail Polish (“Keith! This is perfect! I’ve been meaning to get more colors! This purple is so pretty!”)
  2. Space-themed stickers (“I’m gonna put these everywhere, you watch me.”)
  3. Two pairs of retro sunglasses (“Would it be a crime to wear these in the winter? These are so cool.”)
  4. A gift card to the local movie theater (“You only got this so you would have an excuse to make me pay, huh? I’m just kidding, I love this, thank you.”)
  5. A gift card to Sephora (“Oh. Oh my god, babe. Did you tell Shiro? Tell me you told Shiro AND Allura. We’re going fucking shopping.”)
  6. The rest of the box was filled with pieces of Lance’s favorite candy (“Saltwater taffy? Baby, you know me so well.”)



At the end of the haul, Lance was staring at Keith. For a long time too. Lance just stared at Keith, bottom lip quivering and eyes large. Keith made an awkward look that was kind of a smile but mostly a grimace under the pressure of Lance’s gaze.

“Do you like it…?” Keith asked.

Lance played a fake expression of crying, “B..babe!”

Keith looked panicked, “I don’t know what that means.”

Flinging himself in Keith’s arms so freely that Keith had to literally catch his weight, Lance cried out in mock sobbing, “I-I c-can not believe that I-I have the best boyfriend in the entire world!”

“It’s nothing really!” Keith protested.

Lance threw out his hand, smacking Keith in the face, “How lucky am I to find such a stud! So early in life!”

Keith started laughing, “Lance!”

Lance looked up, “ _Keith,_ ”

“You’re ridiculous,”

“You love me,"

“Yeah,”

“Wait, what-”

There was an obnoxious knocking on the door, followed by a deep voice calling, “Pool boy? Hey, are you in there?”

“Oh no,” Lance’s dramatics ceased. Quickly he composed himself and opened the door.

It was the manager of the day, Varkon. Who wasn’t as scary as he thought he was. Still, he had enough power to get Lance in some serious trouble if he wanted to, so Lance treaded lightly.

Varkon put his hands on his hips, “What do you think you are doing? And who is this?”

Lance stumbled, “Uh, well, this is my b- my friend. He brought me a present. Because it’s Christmas.”

Varkon sneered, “Oh yeah? And what’s your name, mystery guest?”

Keith spoke up, “Keith Kogane. What kind of name is Varkon?” He asked, reading the manager’s name tag

Lance laughed, and gave Keith a look, “Haha, it’s all jokes with this one. Sorry, sir, really. Won’t happen again. I’ll just get right back to, um, stacking towels.”

“You better. And I got my eye on you, Keith Kogane. You aren’t allowed to be back here unless you’re doing some work.”

Keith looked around the room and eyed the shelf with all the cleaning supplies. He smirked and grabbed a rag and spray bottle, “What does it look like we're doing?”

“Huh?”

“Come on, Lance. We have windows to clean.” Keith pushed past Varkon.

Varkon stuttered, “Uh-well, those Christmas decorations aren’t part of the uniform!”

As Lance stood there, Keith casually reached over and plucked the antler headband off of Lance’s head and put them on his. Then, standing there with a dead serious expression and red Reindeer antlers on his head, he said, “Well, we better get to work.”

Keith grabbed Lance’s wrist and tugged him away from Varkon, who was left speechless with nothing else to do except retreat back to the hole where he came.

True to his word, Keith helped Lance spray down all the windows and glass doors.

Lance couldn’t erase the giant smile on his face, watching Keith out of the corner of his eye, helping him clean windows at his work while wearing a hideous Christmas headband.

Once they finished, they decided it was best for Keith to head out before they got Lance in real trouble.

“Thank you so much,” Lance repeated.

Keith shrugged, now wearing the green boa as well, “It wasn’t much.”

“It was everything,” Lance said, in total sincerity, “Thank you.”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Keith smiled, “Don’t eat all that taffy at once.”

“It’s gonna be gone by the end of my shift.”

Keith laughed, “I know. Well, I’ll see you around?”

“Duh,”

Unable to show too much affection in the public place, they quickly locked pinkies for a moment before Keith made his way out.

A tiny, but noticeable smile decorated his face the rest of the day. Lance stacked towels with a new vigor, still dancing when _Spirit In The Sky_ played yet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't overwork yourselves, guys. 
> 
> Keith is such a good boyfriend uwuwuwuwuwu someone please draw him in Lance's green feather boa and red Reindeer antlers. 
> 
> This just in: We have three (3) more chapters until shit goes south.  
> Also: I will be posting these three (3) chapters before July 1st. 
> 
> Stay tuned, my friends.


	12. new year new you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short, fun chapter that I wrote during writer's block. A longer chapter will be posted tomorrow!

“Listen, gremlin. If Allura isn’t gonna let me drink, she’s definitely not letting you drink.”

Pidge pouted, “I am an adult!”

Lance burst out in laughter, “Oh, oh, that was a good one, Pidge. You should go on tour as a comedian.”

“I will end you.”

“And I believe you wholeheartedly. Doesn’t mean you are drinking.”

“I’m drinking and no one can stop me.” Said another minor.

“Keith, no.” Lance said.

Keith grabbed a bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, “Too late.”

“SHIRO,” Lance shouted across Allura’s house, from their place in the kitchen to Shiro’s spot in the living room, “YOUR SON IS DRINKING UNDERAGE.”

Shiro shouted back, “Technically, Keith can drink with the permission of his legal guardian.”

Keith, smirking at Lance, yelled, “Hey, Shiro! Can I drink?”

Lance shook his head as Shiro responded with, “Just one.”

“Ooooo,” Lance glared, “You play dirty.”

Keith popped the top and took a sip, “Mmmhmmm,”

“Come on, Pidge,” Lance huffed, “I don’t feel very welcome here anymore.”

The three make their way to the living room where the gang was waiting. They all sprawled in the living room, half talking among themselves and half watching the TV, waiting for the New Year's Eve ball to drop. Shiro and Allura were already tipsy, but they were the only ones really drinking. Hunk, who was so close to 21 but still so far away, wasn't in on the other minor's shenanigans to sneak drinks. He wasn’t a typical party man, but tonight had more incentive than none. Shay was here tonight, and he did not want to embarrass himself.

Lance sat on the floor in front of Hunk and Shay’s spot on one of the couches. He looked up and asked, “So. Shay. Wanna hear some embarrassing stories about Hunk?”

Shay quirked an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

Everyone knew Shay was from a different country, like Allura and Coran were. Unlike Allura and Coran, although, Shay would sometimes try to explain where she was from but no one could follow for long. Since no one really knew what ‘a place with a lot of rocks and then going into deep detail about the rocks’ really meant.

“You know, like I’ve been living with Hunk for a long time. If you need some blackmail material, I have it.”

Hunk squinted, “You wanna play this game, Lance?”

Lance glared, “Yeah, Hunk. Maybe I do. Maybe I’m still a bit bitter because you, oh I don’t know, deliberately took my clothes out of the laundry even though they weren’t dry so you could finish yours!”

“You are still on that?!”

“YEAH, I’M STILL ON THAT.”

Shiro, who was slowly falling into a drinking daze, shushed them, “Why are you so loud?”

“Ask the traitor.” Lance turned back to Shay, “So do you want the dish or not?”

Shay smiled, “No, thank you.”

Hunk squeezed Shay’s hand that he was holding, “See? She said no. Now I wonder…”

“Hunk, no.”

“Hey, Keith!” Hunk said to Lance’s boyfriend who was sitting on the couch across the room, “You wanna hear some embarrassing stuff about Lance?”

“Hell yeah,” Keith responded nonchalantly, lazily pumping a fist in the air.

Lance gasped and stood up, walking over to his boyfriend, and sat on him, crawling over him and covering his ears with his hands, “Don’t listen to him, Keith. It’s all lies.”

Keith laughed and attempted to push Lance away.

“Lance, you haven’t had anything to drink, why are you acting drunk?” Pidge rolled her eyes, moving herself as far away from the two as possible, ending up on the floor in the middle of the room.

Keith, who had his hand in Lance’s face, pushing him away, “I think that’s just his personality,” He concluded.

“Excellent observation,” Coran said, “Now! Look! The countdown! Everyone pay attention!”

Keith and Lance stopped wrestling and instead looked to the screen.

10! 9!

Allura grinned as she grabbed Shiro’s arm.

8! 7!

Shiro awoke from his dizzy drunkness and looked to the TV.

6! 5!

Coran stood up and got out the bucket of confetti he had prepared earlier.

4! 

Pidge scooted up closer to the screen, readying the blow horn she had in her hand, who everyone has been eyeing nervously since she walked in with it.

3!

Lance looked at Keith and decided why should he wait for the last second to kiss when he could do it right then?

2!  

Keith agreed.

1!


	13. polar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1.of or relating to the North or South Pole.  
> 2.of or relating to the pole of any sphere, a magnet, an electric cell, etc.  
> 3.opposite in character or action  
> 4.capable of ionizing, as NaCl, HCl, or NaOH; electrolytic; heteropolar.  
> 5.central; pivotal:  
> 6.analogous to the polestar as a guide; guiding:

Tuesday, January 23rd 

The second semester came as smoothly as second semesters do. Recovering from the break as best they could while being thrown into the next chunk of school. Luckily, it was college so no one had very high expectations for them coming back with any more than a grumpy attitude.

“Well, hello to you too,” Pidge commented as Keith tossed his bag down on the table. They had all checked their schedules and would periodically met up in the student center on their breaks between classes. They had compared back and forth until they found a 30 minute block where they all were on break at the same time and could eat lunch together.

Keith sat down in his chair, and mumbled out, “Hi.”

Pidge sat-or more like perched-in her chair as she focused on her computer, “What’s your deal?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Uh huh,” Pidge huffed, “Oh, look here comes your boyfriend. Maybe he’ll tell us.”

Lance and Hunk made their way over after sharing a class together. Lance looked the opposite of Keith, happy and bouncing on his feet.

“Hey guys! How was class? I swear, this one is gonna kill me. We already have a test about ions and poles and stuff that I do not know on Thursday. I'm gonna die.” Lance started.

Hunk mumbled, "Wait, I thought it was about magnets..."

Lance set his bag down and went to go kiss Keith on the cheek, but stopped in surprise when Keith turned his head suddenly, avoiding the contact. Lance squinted, “Are you _still_ mad at me?”

Keith crossed his arms.

Pidge adjusted her glasses and grinned, “What’d you do now, Lance?”

Hunk took a seat, “Oh no, not this again. They were up all night bickering like angry PTA moms.”

“Gimme the dirt,” Pidge demanded, closing her computer to listen to the gossip (of course, not all the way, not like she was _that_ interested).

Grumbling voice sticking out in the muted mumbles of the crowded student center, Keith pointed a thumb towards Lance and said, “Ask _him._ ”

Pidge gestured for Lance to elaborate.

“So I may have compared the original Star Wars trilogy to the High School Musical trilogy.”

“Okay…”

Hunk hid his face in his hands as Lance continued, “...In favor of High School Musical.”

Pidge stood up and slammed her hands down on the table, “HOW COULD YOU.”

“YOU SEE?” Keith exploded.

Lance sunk, unable to defend himself, “I’m SORRY, OKAY? I apologized like ten thousand times yesterday!”

“How does High School Musical even remotely compare to Star Wars? Star Wars is an enormous, successful franchise! A science fiction masterpiece that transcends time! Perfect for all ages! Six Oscars! What does High School Musical have, huh?” Pidge went off, not caring who was listening. Let them listen. She could write a thesis about this. In fact…

Lance groaned, “Look, I already got this lecture for like an hour straight last night, I really don’t need it again. All I was saying! Is that I grew up on High School Musical more than Star Wars, alright? I’m talking early 2000s Disney Channel was my life. I had a Phil From The Future poster hanging up in my room. My mom and dad weren't into Star Wars so I was never introduced to it. Even so, we didn’t have the money to or time to buy movies or see them in theater. Basic cable was our friend.”

Pidge, always one to appreciate logic, sighed and raised her hands in surrender, “Fine, fine. I suppose that’s a pretty good excuse. I’m still disappointed in you. I may have to rethink our friendship.”

“I guess that’s fair. Also, I’ll be honest, I was a little obsessed with Troy Bolton.” Lance admitted.

“Have you seen Zac Efron now?” Hunk added, “Dare I say, you have good taste.”

Lance, leaning over the table and getting as close to Keith as it would allow, grinned, “Yes, I think I do.”

Keith was _pouting_ , bottom lip stuck out and everything, “I...I’m still mad at you.”

Lance threw his hands up in the air, “What? Why? I feel like I’ve closed this case perfectly. I apologized and everything. What’s the problem?”

“I don’t know!” Keith _did_ know. Keith knew exactly what he wanted and he was going to get it.

Sighing, Lance also knew what he wanted. So, like the good boyfriend he is, he complied.

Lance didn’t stand up, but he more like slid out of his chair until he was kneeling down in front of Keith’s chair. He walked on his knees until he was right up by Keith. Since he was kneeling down, he only came to Keith’s shoulder, so he was looking up at him, hands clasped together.

“Babe.” Lance began, bottom lip jutting out over-dramatically, “Please, honey. Darling. Will you accept my apology?”

Keith turned his body away from Lance slightly. This motion enticed Lance to throw himself over Keith, who was having a hard time not laughing.

“I promise I will never compare Star Wars to High School Musical again! Star Wars is far superior! Forgive me!” Lance said, half his body on top of his boyfriend.

Keith broke and started laughing, “Get off me, you weirdo. I’ll forgive you if you buy me lunch.”

“Deal!” Lance reached up to peck Keith’s cheek, and then stood up, helping Keith to his feet.

They walked together to get food, leaving Hunk and Pidge to process the scene.

“What was that about?” Pidge asked, opening her computer back up.

Hunk took a cup of yogurt out of his bag while he replied, “Apparently, according to Lance, Keith thinks it’s really funny or something when Lance begs. When he begs for forgiveness or begs for Keith to buy him what he wants. He’s been using it to get whatever he wants or something.”

Pidge peeked over her computer, “Is that so?”

“Mhm. Oh, and, according to Keith, Lance is really weak to compliments and affection. I could’ve guessed that though, that’s just Lance, he likes to be told nice things. Who doesn’t really?” Hunk laughed, “In fact, I came home for work early one day, and Lance and Keith were hanging out in his room, and Keith kept complimenting him the whole time! Keith is a real talker sometimes, although he seems like the quiet type. Well, until they fall asleep. They are always napping."

Pidge smirked, “Wow, only been dating for a few months and they already know each other’s top kinks. Must be exciting in the bedroom.”

Hunk processed what was said and what it _mean_ , and he dropped the spoon in his hand, “ _Oh god_.”

Lance and Keith come back with plastic-wrapped sandwiches. When they sit down, Lance propped his legs up on Keith’s lap, using him as a footrest.

Hunk slowly ate his yogurt, trying to ignore the looks Pidge was tossing him as they listened to the lovebird’s conversation.

“Laura and I were supposed to go out last week and have a spa day, but something came up at work, so I couldn’t make it. We are gonna try to go tomorrow after class.” Lance said.

“What are you guys gonna do?” Keith asked before taking a bite of his sandwich.

“She wanted to get her nose pierced. I’m not a nose-piercing kind of guy, but I was thinking of maybe getting my cartilage pierced?” Lance tugged on the top of his left ear, “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but could never commit to it.”

Keith chewed for a little bit, staring at Lance’s ear. Soon he says, rather casually, “I think it would look really good. It’ll suit you well.”

“Oh,” Lance smiled softly and blushed. Below the table, one could see Keith’s hand holding Lance’s leg in place and the grip tighten, “Uh, thank you.”

Near them, Hunk made a choking noise. When they look over to him, he’s wide-eyed and has a hand over his mouth.

“Whoa,” Lance said, patting Hunk on the back, “You okay, buddy?”

“Yeah, Hunk,” Pidge sneered, “ _You okay, buddy?_ ”

Hunk regained his composure and said, “Yep, yep. I’m great, I’m fine,” He made a pained face, pressing his fingers on his lips, “Just...just you two...be safe, okay? And, uh. Always keep the door locked. I’m just...I’m just gonna go to class now.”

With that, Hunk gathered his supplies and darted out of the student center.

“What’s gotten into his cheerios?” Lance asked.

Pidge only snickered, and said, “Who knows. Hey, Keith, don’t be late today, I have to leave early and I want to get as much done as possible.”

“I know.” Keith said.

“Whatcha guys doing?” Lance asked.

Pidge and Keith looked at each other. Pidge raised her eyebrows, urging Keith to go. Although, he didn’t have anything to say. He still had no idea how he was going to tell Lance. Or if he ever was going to.

“It’s a...practice.” Keith ended up with.

“Oh? For what?”

“I’m, uh. I’m teaching Pidge how to fight.”

Pidge gave Keith a blank stare that read: _I know how to fight and I’m gonna kick your ass._

“You are teaching Pidge how to fight.” Lance restated, as if he didn’t hear it right.

“Yeah.” Keith agreed.

“Why? Doesn’t having a face like that already scare all predators away?” Lance teased, then shouted as Pidge chucked her pen at Lance’s forehead, “Ow!”

“I taught her that.” Keith jumped on.

“Hey, _Sensai,”_ Pidge mocked, “Will you walk with me to my next class?”

Keith nodded weakly, “Yeah. I’ll be right back, Lance.”

“Oh...kay?”

Pidge more or less dragged Keith by his ear until they got outside, “What was that, you moron?”

Keith ran a hand through his hair, “I’m trying, okay? It’s getting harder to cover all this up!”

“No shit, Sherlock. It’s freaking cold today, if you didn’t know, because you are outside in the snow with no jacket,” Pidge pointed out, which caused Keith to curse, “What happened to telling him?”

“I know. I don’t know how to.” Keith crossed his arms, pretending to look cold, but really only feeling distant.

“You know exactly how to,” Pidge protested, “You are too scared.”

“I’m not-”

Pidge put up a hand, stopping him, “And it’s fine if you are, Keith. That’s whatever. What isn’t okay is how much you are _lying_ to him. Don’t bring me into it. And I’m no guru, but I doubt this lying is very healthy for a relationship.”

“One of the relationship members having a condition where they repetitively die and come back isn’t very healthy either.”

Pidge shrugged, “Makes it exciting at least, right?”

Keith shook his head and sighed, “Sure. Sorry I brought you into it. I’ll fix it, I promise.”

“You better,” Pidge smiled, “Now go back to your boyfriend. And please, make sure Hunk isn’t home when you guys fuck. You are mentally scarring him.”

“Wait, what?”

“Byyyyeeee!”

 

 

 

Keith was lying on his back on the bed in Allura’s office. Only him and the doctor herself were there, since Pidge had to leave early and the rest of the gang were busy.

Arms spread out to his side, Keith was shirtless and trying not to move.

“Tell me if this hurts.” Allura said, and Keith felt pressure on his stomach, right above his belly button.

He looked down and saw Allura pressing a smoking chunk of ice that she held with tongs against his stomach. She looked at him inquisitively.

Shaking his head, he said, “Can’t feel it.”

Allura quickly removed it, and turned to mark down data.

Keith sat up a bit and looked at his stomach where a red mark was appearing. He asked, “How cold was that?”

“Very, very cold.” Allura said, “How do your hands feel?”

Keith had his hands in two separate bowls, one was full of ice and cold water, the other was warm.

“This one,” He gestured to the warm water, “Is still a little bit warmer than the other.”

Allura nodded, “Tell me when they get to similar temperatures.”

Keith agreed and Allura took a seat, scribbling on her book, “You haven’t been over 40 degrees, correct?”

“Right,” Keith lied.

“Not even when you are with Lance?”

“Yeah, Lance doesn’t affect it anymore,” Keith lied again.

“I suppose it was only the last tic then,” Allura believed him. Of course she did, she trusted him not to mess up the data.

“Do you think you’ll ever find out what’s wrong with me?” Keith asked, changing the conversation.

Allura crossed her legs and pursed her lips. She thought for a moment before responded, “Keith...I do not believe anything is _wrong_ with you. Surely we are not going to find out if you have some sort of disease that we can cure. You are special, you have a talent, a power, a gift. I can’t tell you what it is. All that I am attempting to do is understand it. And we have made progress, we have. It is just going to take time. Especially with the different tics you develop each time you collect. But every time you do collect, I feel like we are one step closer.”

“So you want me to collect more often?” Keith smirked.

“Absolutely not,” Allura glared, “I want you to be safe. Although...I wouldn’t complain if it furthers my research.”

Keith laughed then referred to the bowls of water, “They are about the same temperature now.”

“Excellent,” Allura said, then held a thermometer in each bowls of water. After it reads, she holds it up and gives Keith a deadpanned look, “Are you telling me you can’t feel anything under 76 degrees?”

Keith shrugged, “Guess not.”

“You can’t feel anything under 76 degrees and your body temperature is permanently under 40.” Allura shook her head, obviously bitter and not a fan of the cold, “Put your shirt on and get out of my office.”

As Keith was leaving, he heard Allura mumbling to herself, “ _Can’t feel anything under 76 degrees my ass, it’s like the North Pole outside today-”_

 

 

 

“Are you Lance?”

A man wearing a full suit, microphones in his ear, and a gun strapped to his side approached Lance while he was folding towels for his afternoon shift at Galra Casino.

Dressed in his khakis and polo shirt, Lance had no room to question, “Yes?”

“I need you to come with me, we’ve already talked to your supervisor and it’s not a problem with them.”

“Oh.” Lance placed his towels down and began following the man, “Am I in trouble or something?” Lance chuckled nervously.

Unhelpfully the man simply shrugged, and lead Lance silently to the elevators.

It was a quiet trip as they made their way through the twisty halls and open lobbies. Lance had no idea where they were headed as they walked to the back hallways, where no one besides employees were allowed to go. The walls around them were not well kept and left unpainted, looked the part of a creepy cement dungeon. The two employees trudged through them, avoiding the trash littering the ground and the spiderwebs on the walls until they reached another elevator at the end of the walkway.

“Where are we going?” Lance asked.

“Have you ever been to HR?”

Lance shook his head no.

“Well,” The man said with bemusement, “That’s where we’re going.”

When the elevator opened, Lance was taken to a whole different world. The door opened to a set of bustling offices, excellent designs, and cleanliness. The atmosphere was chaotic, there were people were suits, dresses, all types of formal wear, strutting around fast-paced. There was a waiting room in the front, chairs full of average workers like himself. Some causally reading the magazines provided, while others picked at their nails and bounced their legs, obviously nervous.

The man with Lance instructed him to have a seat and that he would be called in shortly.

Lance nodded and complied, sitting in the only chair available. He looked around, and turned to the person next to him, “Hey, what’s going on?”

The tall man sitting next to him seemed calm, if anything, he seemed annoyed by his situation when he said, “Have you never been called up to HR before?”

“No, are we in trouble?” Lance asked.

The man shrugged, arms crossed, “Depends on how much debt are in. I’m here forever, so I’ve basically given up.”

“Debt?” Lance asked, “Like, student loans?”

The man looked at Lance and laughed, but it was dry and humorless, “Oh, kid,”

A woman in a pantsuit walked into the room, “Rolo?”

“That’s me,” The man, Rolo, stood up. He shot Lance a grin, “Good fucking luck, man.”

Lance didn’t talk to anyone else after that, simply sat and waited. People came out of the offices in two ways, he realized, in tears or with giant smiles on their faces. He was anxious to know what was happening back there. Trying not to think about it, he tried to read a magazine but soon turned into a knee-bouncer. He wished he had made a grab for his phone before he left. Sadly, he left it in his bag like the good employee he was.

Not soon enough, the woman returned and called out his name as well.

Lance immediately picked himself up and followed after her, walking down a tight hallway with doors on either side. In the small time he had to peek inside the windows, he could see a reoccurring theme of someone sitting at a desk talking to someone on the other end. It was like being called to the principal’s office.

“Lance?” The woman stopped at an office that had the door opened, and gestured inside.

Lance gulped and walked in.

The office was more or less bare, the only decoration was a bookshelf behind the desk and an houseplant in the corner, looking like it received less than efficient care.

At the desk sat a man, tall, muscular, and downright terrifying. Lance obeyed when he was told to sit.

“Lance McClain Martinez. You work in the pool, yes?”

Lance nodded. He looked around the desk, which was clean except for the pile of papers in the center, a mug and a nameplate that read: Sendak. HR Representative.

Sendak hummed, looking through some files. Then he straighten out the papers, looked up to Lance, “We have heard that you had brought a...friend to work with you recently. A boy named Keith Kogane.”

Lance immediately began pleading, “I promise it won’t happen again! It was a dumb mistake and I promise, promise, _promise_ it won’t happen again. I know it was stupid for me to-”

Sendak held up a hand, silencing him, “We are not here to discipline you, Lance. In fact, we are happy he showed up at our facility.”

“You...are?”

“Immensely,” Sendak grinned, and held up a picture of a young woman holding a small child, “We believe that your Keith Kogane is the son of one of our late employees, Mrs. Jin Soo Kogane.”

Lance slowly took the picture from Sendak, “Keith’s mom? But she-”

“Passed away several years ago,” Sendak finished, “We know. She was a precious asset to our team and we were devastated to know of her and her husband’s...unfortunate accident. After they could not find the son, we have been on a search to attempt to reach out to young Keith, help him in any way we can. Try to find closure for all of us, you see. Now, since this friend of yours has resurfaced, we only wish to assist him, as Mrs. Kogane would have wanted.”

Sendak slid over what looked like an employee of the month award of Jin Soo Kogane, and he referred to a paragraph where she reacts to a question of what keeps her going, which is to care and provide for her family.

“You see,” Sendak finished, “All we want is to finally give Mrs. and Mr. Kogane the peaceful closure that we all surely need. If you could help us, we would all appreciate it. I’m sure Keith would as well.”

Keith hadn’t talked to Lance much about his family. Lance knew they had died in an accident when he was young, but not much after that. Of course, Lance didn’t push, he understood if Keith didn’t want to talk about it.

But perhaps...perhaps this could help him.

“I’ll talk to him about it,” Lance promised.

“Thank you. Be sure to make this the center of your attention.” Sendak grinned again, a smile that looked wrong on his face, “You are doing great things here, Lance.”

“Could I...take these?” Lance asked, “To show him.”

“Of course,” Sendak pushed them forward a bit more as Lance picked them up, “I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon, Lance. Stay warm.”

Lance walked out of the offices with a giant smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are as excited for the next chapter as I am. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for leaving comments and kudos! I love you all so much, it makes my day and encourages me to write! I love hearing all your feedback, questions, and (mostly) you all screaming about what the hell is happening. I promise. All will be revealed very, very soon. 
> 
> The next chapter is called: "dive down deeper still" if you know what song it's from (without google you cheaters) I'll give you a shout out!
> 
> (btw that star wars vs high school musical was a real conversation that happened. except in the real life scenario, lance has never been forgiven)


	14. dive down deeper still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warnings for this chapter: sexual content, scene of violence (stabbing) but not graphic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this chapter early because you guys are awesome and left so many comments the last chapter! Thank you so much for your support!

Monday, February 5th. 3:08pm

_I’ll dive in deeper,_

_deeper for you._

 

“Keith, please, baby,” Lance begged, laying on his back on Keith’s bed. Keith was currently kneeling with a leg on either side of Lance’s hips, straddling him.

With a grunt, Keith leaned down and pressed his torso against Lance’s, warm skin on skin contact fueling the fire growing in the pit of their stomachs. Keith pressed wet kisses up Lance’s chest, on his jugular, along the line of his jaw. One of Lance’s hands gripped Keith’s hair, tugging softly while the other reached as his fingers tucked inside the hem of Keith’s underwear. He wondered why the hell they were still on.

Keith shifted, taking his mouth off Lance’s ever-warming skin. He hovers over Lance, resting on his elbow by Lance’s head. Slowing down their speed, he begins tracing circles on Lance’s stomach.

They locked eyes for a while, Keith with a smirk and Lance’s eyebrow knitting together in need as Keith’s feather-light finger brushes make their way lower and lower.

“ _Keith,_ ” Lance pleaded.

“Hm?” Keith smiled, “Is there a problem, beautiful? You are looking really good right now.”

“Fuck you,” Lance laughed, a breathy sound coming from the base of his throat.

“We’re getting there.” Keith traced a line back and forth, routinely dipping a finger or two underneath the fabric of Lance’s briefs, only to backtrack again and again.

Officially not having it, Lance pulled Keith’s face close to his, and spoke with his lips pressed against Keith’s mouth, “Keith, please, please, please, I need you. I need you to do something right fucking now or I swear to-”

Pressing his mouth firmly to Lance’s, moving his lips to open the kiss, Keith reached down and gave Lance what he wanted.

They both didn’t last much longer after that.

 

Monday, February 5th. 6:09pm

_Down to the bottom_

_10,000 emerald pools_

 

Later on, they are sitting on his bed, cleaned up and doing homework.

“It’s 6:00pm, already? I swear it was just 3,” Lance said, who had wrapped himself in a blanket, claiming he was cold,  “Anyway, there’s something I need to show you. I was gonna earlier, but I kind of got distracted.”

Keith raised an eyebrow with a smirk, then turned to his boyfriend, “What is it?”

Reaching into his bag, Lance pulled out a piece of paper and a photograph. He moved over to Keith, sitting at his desk.

“I got called to HR at work the other day. I thought I was in trouble, but they were asking me about you. Look,”

Keith took the objects from Lance’s hand, “Is this...is this my mom?”

“Yes!” Lance said excitedly, “Apparently your mom worked for the casino! They have been trying to find you since, they want to help you out.”

Keith squinted, reading the paper, “I...I never knew that she worked there. She never told me.”

“That’s kinda weird, but still. They want to meet up with you and talk.”

Keith shook his head, handing back the papers, “I don’t want to.”

“Why not? They probably want to give you money or something. Maybe they could pay for a little bit of your school. That would be awesome, wouldn’t it?”

“I said I don’t want to, Lance.” Keith said, a bite in his tone, “I don’t want anyone’s pity. It’s in the past, I don’t want to think about it.”

“I think you should at least-”

Keith cut him off, “Do you want to take a break? Go get some food or something before you have to leave for work?”

Lance gave up, obviously pushing him wouldn’t help, his boyfriend was just too stubborn.  Maybe it was best to simply drop it, “Sure. I’m in the mood for burgers, you?”

With a small smile, Keith responded, “Sounds good.”

 

Monday, February 5th. 7:21pm

_Underwater,_

_Time is standing still_

 

 **Me** (7:21pm): Did you know about my mom’s job?

 **Shiro** (7:42pm): no? I didnt know much ur mom always moved around with her job i think she was a legal representative of some company?

 **Me** (7:43pm): Lance says she worked at the casino that he does. He showed me a picture of me and her they had, and an award she won.

 **Shiro** (8:01pm): rlly? Was it really her

 **Me** (8:03pm): Yeah, it was her. They want to give me money or something? Have some kind of memorial?

 **Shiro** (8:18pm): that’s awesom!! What did you tell them

 **Me** (8:20pm): I told Lance that I didn’t want it. I dont know why

 **Shiro** (8:25pm): i think it would be good for u never got to really mourn their deaths no funeral or anything. Maybe at least talk to them See what they have in mind?

 **Me** (8:40pm): Maybe

 

Monday, February 5th. 9:48pm

_You’re the treasure,_

_Dive down deeper still_

 

Lance once again sat in the waiting room of HR with his knee bouncing.

When he got into the offices, he began explaining the situation to Sendak, who looked less than pleased to hear the news.

“Yeah, I guess he didn’t want to bring up any past experiences.” Lance explained, hands stuck in between his knees, “You know, he’s already moved on and all that.”

Sendak made an annoyed face, “That is...troubling news. I must insist that you attempt to convince him.”

“Why? I mean, he made it very clear-”

Sendak licked his finger then began filing through some papers, “While I have you here, I am seeing that you have a second job? Balmera fitness center?”

“Uh, yeah?”

Sendak hummed with a malicious smirk, so unlike the playful smirks Lance was used to seeing on his boyfriend that he didn’t think they deserved to use the same word, “Yes, you see, our spring session will be coming up soon and we are urging our pool attendants to make more room for hours here at Galra.”

“What are you-I already work 30 hours a week here! And I’m a full time student!”

“We simply are not content with the low levels of commitment you have for this job, Lance. We have some higher positions we think you will be wonderful at, you are a valued employee and we require your full attention.”

“You want me to quit Balmera? But-but-I teach classes! I love it there! They need-”

“Are you implying you don’t love it here, Lance?” Sendak asked, not sounding angry but...smug.

Lance gulped. Why did he feel like they had him in a corner? He shouldn’t be taking this from a job he didn’t even want! He should quit at Galra before he did at Balmera! But...something was telling him that was not an option, so he tried to bargain, “Maybe...I could give you Keith’s number? You could call him yourself? Try to meet up?”

“What type of phone does he posses?” Sendak asked.

Unsure why that mattered, Lance answered, “He has an iPhone 6s?”

“His number would help us greatly,”

Lance recited Keith’s phone number to Sendak, who wrote it down eagerly. After that, he sent Lance on his way, never again bringing up Lance’s schedule or asking him about Balmera. Lance thought maybe he won.

But the way that Sendak thanked him for his help said something different.

 

Monday, February 5th. 11:55pm.

_All I need is you,_

_You’re all I need to breathe_

 

Keith wasn’t sure why he decided to go to the casino so late. He knew that no one in administration would be there to talk to him about his mother. Maybe he just wanted to see what it was like, and tried to picture his mother working there. Maybe he just couldn’t sleep.

He parked down the street to avoid the price of the parking garage, and had to walk down an alley to get to the front entrance. Walking quickly, he tried to imagine his mother taking this same path. Would she receive free parking since she was an employee? Was there an employee parking space for this reason exactly? Maybe he’ll ask Lance the next day.

The entrance was extravagant, looked like the beginning of a castle, high arches with gold lining and purple accents. There was a giant fountain in the middle with some kind of specialized water works. It wasn’t hard to imagine the mass of people who threw coined wishes in the emerald pool by the glittering shimmers off the water’s surface, reflecting the pennies and nickels resting at the bottom.

Keith walked throughout the center of the building with his hands in his pockets. He couldn’t go into the actual casino, he wasn’t quite 21 yet. But he checked out the hotel lobby, and walked by all the restaurants. It was quiet, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t full. It may have been a Monday night and business wasn’t as popular, but people still were there. Casinos are like that, there is always someone who is trying their luck, no matter the time or the day.

 

Tuesday, February 6th, 12:03am

_I’ll make a living,_

_Trying to get away_

 

Finally, Keith walked into the bakery, a small shop that was nearly empty except for two tired over-night employees and a few drunken guests. He asked for a table, a large Caramel Macchiato, and a snack.

He sits quietly, eyes blinking slow with the urge to stay closed.

When the waitress returned a while later with his drink, he asked her how long she has been working here.

“Too long,” She chuckled, “I’ve been working the same shift for nearly ten years.”

He nodded, then held up the photo of his mother that he had been keeping in his pocket, “I know this is a long shot, but is there any way you recognize this woman?”

“What? Is this Law and Order or some sitcom?” She laughed at first, but then said seriously, “I’m not too sure, she looks familiar?”

“She worked here about eight years ago,” Keith tried to explain, “She was my mom.”

The woman paused, then set the photo down. With an expression that could be read as hesitant, suspicious, or doubtful, she said, “She dead?”

Wearing an expression similar, Keith said, “Yes,”

“Your dad too?”

“Yes, why-”

She bent down to Keith’s eye level, squatting uncomfortably for a woman her age, “Do you know anything about debt?”

“Like student loans?”

She bit her lip, “What’s your name, kid?”

“Keith Kogane, do you know-”

The woman stood up quickly, and grabbed Keith’s wrist, pulling him up. He stood up with her, and nearly split his coffee and it was thrust into his hands.

“You have to get out of here,” She said urgently, but in a harsh whisper, attempting not to draw attention, “Go, and don’t come back.”

“Wait, please, I need to understand.”

“Understanding will only make things worse, I promise,”

“I need to know-”

“You need to leave.” She said in a cold, but pleading tone.

So he did. He turned on his heel, and tried not to feel the eyes around him digging into the back of his head.

 

Tuesday, February 6th. 12:29am

_10,000 fathoms,_

_Under a tidal wave_

 

He walked quickly out of the shop. It was quiet, but he didn’t like it anymore. All he could hear was the echoes of his footsteps and the water of the fountain running continuously.

He stopped for a moment, looking back. There didn’t seem to be any danger. Everything seemed so calm, what was he running from?

The pool of water whirled on it’s own, showing off although no one was watching. Keith took a handful of loose change out of his pocket, tossing a few coins into the fountain.

He didn’t wish for anything.

When he exited the casino, he paused, standing outside of the front doors. What now?  Out of the casino, and now he's never allowed to go back in? Because some lady freaked out and said so?

Keith did not see himself as one to give up easily. He would push and push until he got the answers he deserved. Now with everything the woman said, he was more determined than ever. If it was just him on the line, he would've barged back into the casino with vigor and demanded someone explain.

This situation was different, he thought. Galra may be shady, but it still was Lance's workplace. Now that they knew him and his connection to Lance, anything he does may be seen negatively onto Lance. Keith didn't want Lance to get in trouble because of him. 

He would have to come in at a better time tomorrow. Where he could talk to someone who would answer his questions.

So, with nothing else to do, Keith started his way to his car.

As he reached the alleyway, someone approached behind him. He tried to duck his head and move on, but the stranger called out, “Are you Keith Kogane?”

A man wearing a chef’s outfit, seemed to have recently come out of the kitchen, rocked side to side a few feet away from him. As he talked, he glanced back and forth from the phone in his hand.

 

Tuesday, February 6th. 12:38am

_It can never pull me away,_

_No way_

 

Keith responded with, “What’s it to you?”

The man turned his phone, then waved it, as if he was showing Keith what was on the screen. It looked like the Find My iPhone app, “Just, uh, making sure I got the right guy, ya know. Don’t wanna mess up, heh.”

Keith stood his ground as the man approached him. Reaching into his back pocket, he talked nervously and nearing neurotically as he stammered out, “Listen, man, I’m really sorry for this. They said if I found ya they would cut sixteen years off my debt. That’s a whole lot, ya know? That could give my little girl a lot of time.”

 

Tuesday, February 6th. 12:40am

_Underwater,_

_Time is standing still_

 

“What are you-auGH!” Keith cried.

He didn’t see it happen, he really didn’t. It was one fluid swoop as the kitchen worker took the knife and stabbed it into Keith’s side, muttering, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, it’s for my little girl, I’m sorry,”

The man let Keith go and he fell to the ground, groaning and holding his side. Disgusted with what he had done, the man walked a few steps back. Keith fell against the wall and the man waited a moment, as if making sure he had done what he was supposed to then he ran off.

“What the fuck,” Keith groaned, looking at the knife currently sitting in his side. His hands hovered. He got stabbed. By a stranger.

What the hell.

He didn't what he should do now. Sit here and wait until someone found him? Sit here and wait until he collected? Should he take the knife out? What would happen if he collected with a knife in his side? Would he still heal? Would he tic be the ability to grow knives out of his side?

He looked around. Aw, he had dropped his coffee while he was getting brutally stabbed.

Was it the shock making him hysterical or was he being too calm about the situation? He felt more offended really than scared for his life. Then again, he can't remember the last time he actually experienced fear of death. He pulled his phone out of his pocket painfully.

 

Tuesday, February 6. 12:52am

_You’re the treasure,_

_Dive down deeper still_

 

Keith’s hands shook as he scrolled frantically through his phone, muttering under his breath about iPhones having worst timing for bad connection.

He finally found the right contact, and tapped the pad of his thumb on the neon green call button. He winced as he moved to hold the phone up to his ear, soon deciding against the movement and instead put the call on speaker.

A moment or two passed as the phone rang. The low, monotone, anxious sound repeated three times before it was followed by an antithetically energetic, albeit confused, “Hello?”

Keith sighed, allowing his head to fall backwards in relief, “Hey, Lance.”

 

_All I need is you_

_You’re all I need to breathe_

_All I need is you_

_You’re all I need to breathe_

 

_Down to the bottom,_

_10,000 Emerald pools,_

 

_I’ll dive in deeper,_

_Deeper for you_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go. We're back at square one. 
> 
> Love you guys so much! Thank you for reading!!! You can find me at https://somethingaboutklance.tumblr.com/ if you want to scream at me personally.


	15. heart ache, break, burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There are plenty of ways to die, but only love can kill and keep you alive to feel it."  
> -Leo Christopher

Tuesday, February 6th. 1:47am

 

Lance curled up in one of the chairs in the waiting area of the emergency clinic, weeping silently, as 10,000 Emerald Pools by BORNS played on the loudspeaker. He had long refused comfort from Hunk, who was currently on the phone, pacing back and forth.

As soon as the reached the lobby, Hunk had received a phone call from Pidge. Fumbling to answer the call, Hunk put Lance down in one of the chairs. While on the phone, Hunk attempted to reach out and hug his friend, but after being roughly pushed away, he since decided to keep his distance. 

The waterworks were slowing, and Lance didn’t know how he felt. In the pit of his stomach, he felt sick and disgusted, like he needed to vomit. In the front of his forehead and his temples beat pain, sadness, and utter despair. Boiling right in the middle of his chest, he was furious and wanted to go off on anyone who looked his way. 

Most of all, in his feet, in his hands, in his neck, he felt heavy. He was so tired from all these emotions clouding up every pore in his body at once that the thought of doing anything besides just _feeling_ seemed like an impossible feat.

The waiting room was quiet tonight. Except for a teenage boy with a bloody nose and cradling his arm. With two other boys with him, there was no telling what they had gotten up to.

Sniffling quietly, Lance attempted to listen in on Hunk’s one-sided conversation.

“No...yeah, we’re in the emergency area... We got there right when you called... I think that’s 30 feet away?...Pidge, I don’t think that really matters right now, we can research later…”

Lance felt someone sit next to him, and looked up to see Coran through tear-filled eyes.

“So,” Coran began softly, “Guess you are learning the hard way, hm? I tried to convince him that a conversation would do just fine, but, well, you know Keith.”

Lance sniffled and wiped his eyes, “What?”

Coran smiled, “He’s okay, you know. Just recovering. These things make him tired, he’ll need rest.”

“I...I-” Lance began choking on his tears again, “I saw him die, he’s not-”

Placing a hand on Lance’s knee, Coran said simply, “I promise, my boy, he is okay. And you will be too.”

For a moment, Lance believed him. That didn’t mean he stopped crying.

Coran coaxed him through his next wave of tears until Hunk reached out, off the phone. He laid a hand on his best friend’s shaking back.

Lance looked up to Hunk’s gentle smile as he said, “Hey, do you want to go see him? They’re ready for us.”

Coran gave him a pat as well, “Go on, Lance, don’t keep him waiting. I’ll be right at my desk if you need me. I have tissues to spare! Oh, and little lollipops when you’re all done!”

Lance smiled a bit, a wavering turn of his lips, and leaned over to give Coran a hug. Coran was startled with an ‘oh!’ but was more than happy to return the embrace.

Then, slowly, Lance and Hunk made their way back to the room.

When they walked back in, the mess was cleaned up. Not very well, but the blood was removed mostly from the scene, seen by the mop and bucket sitting in the corner of the room.

Pidge and Allura were running around the room. Whether putting supplies, cleaning up, or jotting things down in books, they looked busy.  But when the door opened, they stopped moving and waited.

Hunk opened the door wide, so Lance could make his way in. Lance, who stopped the moment he saw Keith.

Keith was _fine._ He looked...perfect. He was sitting on the hospital bed, criss-crossed, head leaning on his head, and he had a heart beat monitor attached to his right index finger. He looked bored if anything. His shirt, which had become a torn and bloody mess, had been discarded but his torso, once pierced with a blade, was clean. No open wounds, all he had was a small, thin scar where a knife once was.

Keith picked up his head when the door opened. Everyone was quiet as Lance and Keith locked eyes across the room.

No one spoke until Keith’s lips twitched into a smile, “Hey, Lance-”

He didn’t finish his sentence as his boyfriend had crossed the length of the room until he was in his arms, crying loudly into his chest.

Keith gave his friends looks which requested some space, which they graciously gave. They all left the room in time, and the two were alone.

Running his hands through Lance’s hair, Keith waited patiently until Lance’s heaving sobs turned into shaky breaths.

When that moment arrived, Keith leaned over a bit so he could be at eye level with Lance. Lance sat up a little, wiping his nose and eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

“Are you okay?” Keith asked, helping Lance wipe away the tears from his face with his thumb.

Lance scoffed, “No. Are...are you okay? Was that some kind of joke? If it was..that...that wasn’t cool.”

Keith gave a little smile, “No, that wasn’t a joke. It was real. But I’m okay.”

“So what? Did you really...I...god, I saw you die, I saw your heart stop!”

Keith grimaced, “Yeah, I died. I do that sometimes. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but…I guess I’ve been too scared.”

“I’m so fucking confused, start explaining,” Lance demanded.

So Keith did.

“Ever since I was younger, I get in these... bad situations. Like I’ll get in a really bad car accident, or I’ll get awful food poisoning or get caught in a house fire. And I’ll get hurt, really, really badly hurt. When they happen, there is no way to heal me. Even if we try really hard, once I get hurt, it just gets worse and worse, no matter what we do. So matter how easy a fix it is, I’ll die.”

“Like...really dead?”

Keith nodded, “Yes. My heart will stop, everything will shut down, but for no more than three seconds, then I’ll come back. When I come back, everything is better, perfect even. Like it never happened.”

Keith took Lance’s hand and placed it on his torso, where there once was a brutal stab wound, “See? I’m all better now. I just had to...get almost there, you know?”

“How?” Lance asked, moving his hand away from Keith’s side and gripped Keith’s hand instead, “How is any of this possible?”

“I don’t know,” Keith said honestly, “That’s why I’ve been working with Allura, Pidge, Hunk, and Coran and my uncle. We are trying to figure it out.”

Lance nodded, “I’m guessing that’s how you all know each other, huh?”

“Yeah. They’ve been helping me out for a while. They are good to me.”

“They are good people,” Lance agreed, “So...is this like a superpower? Is my boyfriend a superhero or something?”

Keith cracked a smile, “I...no? I have no idea who I could save with the ability to get hurt really bad constantly then die and come back fine.”

“Who knows,” Lance smiled, “Learn how to do kung fu and you could kick some serious ass.”

Keith laughed. Then, he looked down at Lance’s fingers intertwined with his as he continued, “There’s...more.”

“Okay,” Lance listened.

“After I die, I get this like…tic. That’s what we call it. It’s like my body reacting to my latest collection, which is what we call it when I almost die. I collect. Anyway, it’s something abnormal in my body, like low body temperature that should be killing me, or really high or low blood sugar. Like my body reminding me that I shouldn’t be alive.”

Lance furrowed his brows as he realized, “So...you really don’t have diabetes?”

Keith winced, “No. One of my recent tics affected my blood sugar so it was...just the best thing to say? I guess?”

“That’s kind of a dick move, my little brother thinks you have type one.” Lance pointed out.

“Yeah...I know, that sucked on my part.”

Thinking some more, Lance said, “But your blood sugar was always fine when you checked it?”

Keith had a hard time looking at Lance as he explained, “We have...discovered that when I’m around you things...change.”

“Change?”

“Yeah, like right now, we’ve discovered that my tic is a really, really high heart rate. Before you came into the room, my heart was beating at 208 beats per minute. But now…”

Keith brought Lance’s hand up to feel Keith’s steady pulse.

“That’s average, right?” Lance said, “Why does it change when I’m here?”

“We don’t know. But,” Keith took both of Lance’s hands into his, “When I’m around you, for whatever reason it is, I’m normal. I _feel_ normal. It’s like none of this crazy stuff happened, like I don’t have to deal with it.”

“But...is that why you died?” Lance asked, “For longer than you were supposed to? Is that why they took me out of the room?”

Keith nodded, “Yeah. We think that if I collect around you...I’m not going to come back. They were really worried that I was gone, forever this time. I think...I think I almost was.”

Lance took a deep breath, “Fuck. Why? Why me?”

“We don’t know, but we think…” Keith paused, but then continued to say, “You know how your siblings sometimes get in trouble? End up in the hospital?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, it kind of relates. All of the things that happened to your siblings, happened to me in some sort of relation. It may be small, but it all happened at the same time. Like when your dad got frostbite? I went from hypothermia the exact same day. When Eva almost drowned, I also drowned. Everyone, Lance, I don’t know why, but it’s all-”

“Wait, I don’t under-”

The door swung open, and Coran was standing at the entrance, out of breath with a stunned look on his face, “Lance. Lance, listen-”

Lance looked up, “What? What is it?”

“It’s your mother,” He said, “She was just admitted,”

“ _Mama_?”

“She has a knife wound-”

Lance looked at Keith, and the only word he could utter was, "No."

Without hesitating, he tore himself away from Keith and took off to find his mother.

 

 

 

“I’m fine, Lance, stop worrying.”

“Are you sure? Mama, don’t be stubborn, should I call the nurse? Why were you cooking so late at night?”

“I had gotten home from work, I was preparing lunch for your siblings for tomorrow-Lance! Don’t you press that button!”

Elisa swatted Lance’s hands away. She slightly pushed on her son’s chest, who was hovering over her like he had taken upon himself to do his own checkup.  

Keith snickered, sitting in one of the chairs along the hospital room walls as he watched the scene between his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s mother.

As it turned out, Elisa was okay. Okay as in ‘not dying’. She had been cooking when she had caught herself on her left hand, which was currently swaddled and stitched, pressed against her stomach while she whacked her son with her other hand.

“I’m _fine,”_ She repeated with a huff, “I only needed a few stitches. I will survive. What I want to know is why in the world you are here at this hour? Both of you? And everyone outside? Are those all your friends? What is going on?”

Lance stopped, grimaced and looked at Keith.

Keith bit his lip and walked over to lean on the bed. His arms were crossed, he was still shirtless but was wearing Lance’s jacket. Better that than the paper gowns laying around.

Also, it smelt strongly of Lance, which Keith had recently decided was mostly of his vanilla scented shampoo. 

Gently and briefly, Keith explained the situation they were in, and told Elisa about his collections.

As she listened, they could visibly see her slowly realize the connection Keith’s collections had with the unluckiness of her children.

When Keith finished explaining, the only question she had was, “What is your last name?”

Keith answered,  “Uh, Kogane?”

Elisa closed her eyes, and breathed out a quiet, “Ah, I see.”

“Huh?” Lance asked, “Aren’t you shocked? Weirded out? Confused? I mean, no offense, Keith, but this isn’t really information you get everyday. Or anyday. Ever.”

“It makes sense,” Elisa shrugged. She told Keith, “I knew your mother.”

“You did?” Keith asked, “Did you work with her? Were you friends? How long ago?”

Elisa sighed, but didn’t answer his question, not yet. She turned to Lance, “Lance, mijo, sit down. I need to tell you something, you and Keith both. It’s something I should’ve told you a very long time ago.”

Lance sat on the other side of the hospital bed at his mother’s feet, “What?”

“I think this is going to help you understand...but I’m afraid you won’t like it.”

“ _Mama,_ please.” Lance said, “I want to know. I’m tired of not knowing.”

Elisa nodded, “Alright. Lance, do you remember when abuelo died? On my birthday?”

“Yes,”

Continuing, Elisa said, “You were 12 years old at the time, I’m not sure how much you remember. I had been working at the casino for a few months, and was pregnant with Eva…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all should be grateful because I was very close to ending it at "Mama?"
> 
> Thank you again and again for your comments! Thank you for reading! And leaving kudos! You all are so nice!!!
> 
> Get ready for the next chapter when we gonna learn us some things.


	16. strange things, stranger magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning: angst. 
> 
> A whole lot of angst.
> 
> Let's learn us some things.

Elisa began her story like this: 

"Four days after your grandfather died, I had to go back to work. I was the head of interior decorating of the hotel and the restaurants in the casino. It was a job I had been very excited for, they let me choose the decorations for every event, holidays, and such things. When I was hired, they were adding on another restaurant and they made me in charge of interior design.”

Lance spoke up, “I remember! We used to have the best decorations for holidays! Putting up Christmas decorations took a whole week.”

Elisa smiled sadly at the memory, “Yes, it was what I loved to do, and I was very good at it.”

“What happened…?” Keith asked shyly.

“On the day I returned, I was called to HR. I wasn’t sure what they wanted from me., they didn't say. Still, I was taken into the offices and sat down with a woman I had never seen before. She told me this...ridiculous story...

The woman who spoke to me was named Jin Soo Kogane, I remember her very well. She talked smoothly, and appeared stoic and direct. As if she delivered bad news for a living and it was getting boring. I’m sure that was exactly the case.

She told me that since my father had passed away, that I was in charge of the family debt.

I told her that I didn’t know what she was talking about.

Tiredly, she explained it to me.

Galra Hotel and Casino isn’t an...average workplace. Lance, mijo, I’m sure you’ve begun to catch on. A very long time ago, my grandfather, Lance, your great-grandfather, was lost. He went to the casino often, was addicted to gambling and making deals. The Galra have this way of giving people what they want. If you need something, you can go to Galra and ask for a loan, for a favor. And Galra will be happy to comply.

This is what my grandfather did, he received riches, land, and popularity. Not directly from the Galra, but throughout the course of a very short time. Suddenly, he was highly promoted in his job. He won a lottery giving him 30 acres of land. The woman he was seeking after suddenly fell in love with him. He kept going back to the casino, asking for more and more, and never realized the need to pay the casino back for all he took. He became addicted on what the casino would do for him next.

His mistake was simple, and often made. Galra had asked him to sign a contract in order to receive the good luck. The contract has some kind of...magic to it. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. It binds your soul to the casino. I don’t know how, some sort of voodoo, it must be. Once he signed, he doomed us all, all the Martinez’s to this day. He had taken so much from the Galra, but he had no way of returning the favors.

Eventually, the luck that the Galra had given him began to run out. He kept going back and back until the Galra began demanding what they wanted.

So, he gave it to them. They gave him another contract and he signed away the lives of his wife, and his son.

But he didn’t just do that, he gave the Galra the lives of all his family that the debt owed, which included his son, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, his great-great grandchildren and so forth. He had lost so much to the casino.

The problem is there are only a few ways to pay the casino and win back the lives. You could play for it, in the casino itself, or to work for it. This is what most people did. They became employees for the casino to try to shave off some years.”

“That’s why you all work at the casino,” Keith mumbled.

Elisa nodded, and continued, “That’s why your mother worked at the casino as well.”

Keith looked up, listening intently.

“I met with your mother and she told me since my father had passed, I was meant to choose one of two options. I could either section off the debt to each of my children or localize it all onto one of them. I refused. I was pregnant with my fifth child, and she was asking me to choose one of them to sentence to this life or bestow it on all of them. How was I supposed to? How could I?

So I said to her, “'No, I will do no such thing.'

She seemed annoyed if anything by this, and responded, “'This is not an argument, if you do not choose, then we will.'

I began shouting, “'No! You do not have rights to my family! I am leaving, I’m quitting!'

I stood up, but she stopped me by saying, calmly, as if placing an order, “If you quit, your entire family will die within the next week.'

You see, because the Galra is very finicky on who’s lives they have, and if they have a hold on yours or your loved ones, they do with it what they wish. If that means ending them, they have many ways to do so.

“'Are you threatening me?' I asked her.

“'No,' She said, “'I am warning you.'

I sat back down, “'This isn’t fair, how can they do this?'

Jin Soo Kogane said, “'I do not know. I just know they can, and I need you to choose.'

I was quiet for a moment, “'What about you? What did you choose?'

She looked surprised by this. It was as if no had asked her this question before, as if she was never in the other side of this table, “I...I do not have to. I only have one son. My family’s debt is almost finished. It will end with me.”

I asked her, “'How old is your son? What is his name?'

She showed me a picture of her holding a small child, “'He is 12 years old now, his name is Kiisu.'

We make conversation, until I say,

“'My oldest son is the same age. Why is it that your son gets to live a life free and in his own will while mine is shackled to a life for no other reason except being born?'

That must have struck a nerve with her. She stopped asking me to sign the contract, instead, she wrote me a note on the back of a business card. It said to meet her at a bar the following week. Then she dismissed me.

When she met me at the bar, she brought a stack of papers. I had no idea what this meeting would end with, or even start with for that matter. Still, I sat and listened to her.

Apparently, Jin Soo Kogane was good at her job. Very good. Her debt was almost up, but the casino wanted to keep her. They kept pressuring her to take deals or fortunes from Galra to lengthen her debt. She kept refusing but she was scared, their rewards had been slowly turning into threats.

She had a plan. Someone higher up was assisting her, someone named Thace. She was going to take her family and disappear. I do not know how, but while she was going to disappear in a way that her debt did as well. Becoming nonexistent.  And if you do not exist, you can’t be in debt.

With that, she offered me a plan out of my debt as well. She said that she would take my family’s debt under her family’s name. And so my family would be free as hers would be burdened. Then, as she disappeared, so did the debt.

I didn’t know if it was possible, but she swore it was. All I had to do was choose the option to give the debt to all of my children.

I asked her why, I didn’t know if this was a trick set up by the Galra or not.

She said she was going to take the debt away from all of my family, my husband, and my children, including the unborn one, but...excluding my twelve year old son. She said it was because with the amount of debt she was taking, all that was left would be half a lifetime on my second son’s shoulders. She told me she wouldn’t take his because all of the debt that my family had was being transferred to her only son. And if anything went wrong, her son would be subjected to the same fate.

So in choosing to give all of my children my debt, I officially chose Lance to carry it on. As my father did to me.

After I signed, Jin Soo Kogane left. I never saw her again. I never knew if it had really worked or not, but with Keith standing here today…”

Keith looked down at his hands, and told his brief story, “When I was 12, my mom and dad said we were going up to visit some family, but that we had to take all of our things, like we were moving. I never knew why, or who we were visiting, but...we were in an accident on the way, they didn’t survive. You said that the Galra had ways to get rid of people do you think that…?”

“The Galra got to them first,” Elisa finished, “The Galra does not have to manually set up a death, they don’t often have to hire assassins or do the dirty work themselves. That’s the magic, it is tied to our souls. If the situation arises where a problem could happen, and look like an accident, it is just more likely to happen. It’s all luck.”

“Why didn’t I die?” Keith asked, “If the Galra tried to kill my parents, they must have wanted me gone too, right? That must be why I get in so much trouble all the time. But why don’t I die?”

Elisa leaned forward, and took Keith’s hand into hers, “I think what your mother was trying to do worked. Although, perhaps, not all the way.”

“So...I have your family’s debt? On my...soul?”

Elisa smiled, “I know it sounds crazy, but yes. I think we are all connected, you and me, you and Julian, you and Eva, all of my family. The Galra’s curse is tugging your string, Keith. To them, you shouldn’t be alive, your family should have been terminated. But, since your soul is tied to my family’s and our debt, when they try to...well, collect your soul, you are tugged back over the line by my family. It’s like when one member of my family and Keith both fall into a similar situation where death is a possibility, both of our strings are tugged. But, as if we are holding onto a rope on opposite ends of the table, we keep each other up.”

“But what about…?” Keith looked over to his boyfriend. He was too engulfed into the story and he didn’t notice Lance’s state.

Tears staining his face, Lance had pulled himself into a ball on the corner of the bed. Listening, he picked at the strings on his jeans.

Elisa took her good hand back from Keith and laid it on Lance’s leg, “ _Mijo,_ I’m so sorry.”

Refusing comfort, Lance asked for answers, “W-when I’m around Keith, he can die again. Why?”

“I...I’m not sure. I don’t know exactly how all of this works. I’m mostly guessing here. Perhaps it’s because your debt is pure? And Keith is simply a traded version of it? Or because your souls are simply bound because of the exchange? I do not have all the answers.”

Lance wiped his nose, “Maybe you should. Ma-maybe I don’t think it’s fair that I’m-I’m the reason all of this has happened. You should’ve just picked me to take on all the debt from the beginning.”

Elisa said, “Son, no,” at the same time Keith said, “It’s not your fault.”

“Even if it’s not my fault, now anytime I’m around, if Keith’s string or whatever gets pulled, there’s nothing we can do! It’s like...like _I’m the bad luck_. Oh god, that’s what it is, isn’t it? All this work that Keith’s mom had gone through to try and keep her son safe and I’m the one that’s gonna ruin it.”

“Lance, that’s not what-” Elisa called, but her son was already out of the door.

Keith stood up, and glanced at Elisa, who said, “Talk to him. He needs you now.” Before Keith left the room Elisa spoke to him once more, “And, Keith? I want to thank you. You have done more for my family that I could ask.”

Keith nodded to her and followed Lance outside.

He found his boyfriend sitting in the hallway. The rest of the group was outside, waiting as Keith and Lance checked on Elisa. Now they were hovering over Lance, who had rushed outside then collapsed in a heap of sobs on the ground. Including Shiro, who Keith had texted after he collected.

Shiro asked him, “What’s going on?” 

Keith shook his head, and shooed everyone away. Everyone took a few steps back while Keith knelt down, reaching out for Lance, in more ways than one. 

At first, Lance weakly tried to push him away, repeating, “You shouldn’t be with me, it’s dangerous, what if something happens-”

To that, Keith only tightened his grip, holding him closer to his chest, running a hand softly through his hair and shushing him as Lance cried into his chest for the second time that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a LOT of information, so if you are confused (well, come on, you've been confused this entire time, aren't you used to it), have questions, or if I worded something weird, I am willing to answer all your questions! Also! If you just want to chat!!! I am also willing! Be friends with me!
> 
> To ask me directly (and be 100% sure to get an answer) hit me up at https://somethingaboutklance.tumblr.com/  
> If not, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer! 
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS I KNOW I'M NO GOOD AT RESPONDING BUT I PROMISE I READ ALL OF THEM AND LOVE THEM! THANK YOU!!!


	17. constant conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well you're wrapped up in a blanket,   
> and you're staring at the floor,   
> the conversation's moderated  
> by the noisy street below,
> 
> I never wanna hurt you baby,  
> I'm just a mess with a name and a price-"
> 
> -Passion Pit, Constant Conversations

Without much word, Keith took Lance back home. He helped him up, convinced him that his father was on the way to care for his mother, and drove him back.

“I’m going to stay the night,” Keith said, pulling into the parking lot of Lance’s apartment for the second time that night.

Lance didn’t agree or disagree, the only response Keith received a sniffle and a soft spoken statement, “We have school tomorrow.”

“We can skip,” Keith said. He parked the car, but didn’t get out.

Lance nodded, then said, “I have work tomorrow.”

“You-you can’t go. Can you call in sick or something?”

Shaking his head, Lance rubbed his eyes, stress and panic building up in his chest again, “I can’t, it doesn’t work like that. They’ll make me pick up shifts later and they might be rude to my coworkers, and-I can’t, I-”

“We’ll figure that out later,” Keith dismissed the subject. He reached over and squeezed one of Lance’s hands, “Let’s go inside.”

Lance nodded weakly, furiously rubbing away the tears building up again and followed Keith to his apartment.

They didn’t bother turning on the lights when they got inside. No words were exchanged as Lance made his way to the bathroom, and Keith to Lance’s room.

In a moment of insecurity, Keith couldn’t help but feel like this was all his fault. How stupid of him to call Lance like that, especially when he had before agreed that it was a bad idea to show him a collection. Now with all the new information…

Wrapping his head around what Elisa had explained was difficult. His mother used to work for Galra. Why had he never known this? Keith couldn’t remember being introduced to the casino before he had moved into the area. Before his family’s attempts to go up north, he hadn’t lived in one place for too long. Perhaps there are more Galra casinos in the country? The world, perhaps?

How long had his family been in debt to the casino? How did she learn how to erase the debt? How did she learn to transfer one person’s debt to another?

Did she know what the consequences of her attempts to do so were beforehand?

Keith didn’t have the answers. He wished he could ask her. Of course, he couldn’t. He didn’t know if he was mad at her for what she had accidentally done to him, for the suffering he had been put through because of it, or if he was proud to bear the weight of her sacrifice.

Lance appeared in the doorway, leaning against frame. His face was visibly wet, nose and eyes red from crying. He looked like he had tried to pull himself together, but failed miserably. He looked exhausted.

Gesturing for him to enter, Keith kicked his shoes off and tossed Lance’s jacket on a nearby desk. He would have to borrow one of Lance’s shirts the next day, still missing his own.

Lance slowly took off his shoes, shirt and pants then crawled into bed beside Keith, who was waiting for him.

They laid silently for a while facing each other. Keith ran his hands softly up and down Lance’s arms in a calmly rhythm.

“How are you doing?” Keith asked after sometime.

Lance breathed shakily, “I’m okay. Just...a lot to take in at one time, you know?”

Keith nodded, “Yeah. Sorry, by the way. I probably shouldn’t have told you like that. That was pretty asshole-y on my part.”

That got Keith a breathy laugh from his boyfriend, “Yeah, that...sucked. I wanted to ask, does it hurt?”

“Yes. Up until I collect, it feels like it would for anyone else. Dying usually hurts.” Keith said, thinking to himself, _and not just for the person dying._

“I’m sorry.” Lance apologized, refusing to make eye contact, “That’s...really shitty that you have to go through that. And for so long.”

“I’m used to it,” Keith said, “It’s better than actually dying anyway.” Keith brushed his hand on Lance’s cheek, “Stop feeling bad for something that’s not your fault.”

“Well it’s not your fault either. You should’ve been free of all this Galra shit. You should have been able to live a life with your mom and dad away from all this. Now instead you have all this, whatever the hell it is-what, some magic voodoo death shit-tied to your soul or something. All because my family is in deep water and because your mom was a decent human being! It’s not fair!”

Keith waited a breath to make sure Lance was finished. Then he said, “I’m glad it happened.”

“What?”

Keith repeated himself, “I’m glad. I’ve met your family, Lance. They are good people. They didn’t do anything to deserve this either. Just because your great grandfather was greedy doesn’t mean your entire family should suffer. You didn’t ask for anything from the casino, neither did your mother.”

Lance nodded, “This whole situation is a mess.”

Keith scooted closer to Lance, wrapping his arms around him, “Yeah…” Keith said, “So, this is still kind of confusing...but, your family’s debt was transferred to me, right? All except the part that still connected to you?”

“Keith, I have no idea how this works so-”

“Hold on. So technically, you and I are the only ones with the debt still on our souls, right? And even after all of that, we still found each other? By pure coincidence?”

“Yeah…”

Keith pulled Lance in closer, “Do you know what that means?”

“What?”

“We must be soulmates.”

Lance blinked exactly three times before he started laughing, “Oh my god, did you really go through all of that just to make an awful pickup line?”

Keith shrugged, and awkward movement since he was laying on his side, “It made you smile so it was worth it.”

The boisterous grin turned into something softer as Lance pressed their foreheads together, squeezing his eyes and holding Keith tight, “I hate that you can get hurt around me. I can’t stand it. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Nothing is going to happen. We’ll fix this.”

Lance opened his eyes, “You think there’s a way to reverse this? Maybe through the casino?”

“Maybe. You heard your mom, there are people already trying to take Galra down. Maybe we could help. Our situation is unique, but maybe we aren’t the only ones.”

“What? More people with their souls tied together? And, wait, aren’t you more tied to my family? Like are you soulmates with everyone in my family _except_ me? That’s messed up, Keith.”

Keith huffed, then changed his grip to hold Lance’s thigh, “Yeah, but I’m only _vulnerable_ around you.”

“Oh, okay, okay, okay-”

“Anyway, I want to try. Maybe we can contact those people? Your mom mentioned a person named Thace?”

Lance nodded, “I’ll see what I can do. I still have to go to work tomorrow, as much as I’m gonna hate it. I can’t let them know I know. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

“Okay. Just be careful, okay? Call me if anything’s weird.”

“I will.”

Keith asked, “Hey, so we, me and the rest of the team, meet up every Tuesday at 3pm. They kind of...study me.”

“Study you? Like a lab experiment?”

“Sort of. Allura and Pidge are doing studies on my, uh, ability  for their own projects, Hunk is there because he’s interning at the hospital under Allura anyway, Coran is just a good guy, and well, Shiro is my uncle. Since you...affect it, they were wanted to see if they can figure out why that is. So if you wanted to come-only if you are ready and okay with it-we would love to have you.”

Lance raised an eyebrow, “That sounds super mad sciency and I’m in.”

“Cool.”

“I’m also pretty sure you only want me there so you don’t have to tell Allura and Pidge that their science is actually magic and has nothing to do with science.”

“Heh,” Keith grimaced, “Yeah…”

Lance kissed the top of Keith’s nose, “Sounds like a plan, I should be able to be there until 5pm when I start work. Until then, I’m beat.”

“Me too. You know, after dying today and stuff. I’m really sore. Could use a back rub or something.”

Lance rolled his eyes. He kissed Keith fully on the lips, “I love you, you weirdo.”

Keith smiled, “I love you too.”

After giving Keith another kiss, Lance motioned with his hand, “Roll-over, needy.”

Lance rubbed Keith’s back for only a few minutes before he fell asleep, but by then Keith was completely out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My birthday is on Tuesday (July 25th) so here is my birthday present to you: pure fluff and cuddles. Merry Christmas. 
> 
> Really, hope you liked this little chapter! Look out sometime this week, I'll be posting something new for Lance's birthday! (July 28th) 
> 
> Basically, this week is gonna be the best week because not only is it MY birthday this week, it's also LANCE's birthday, and then we only have ONE WEEK LEFT until Voltron season three and it's just parties all around. 
> 
> Leo season is the best season. 
> 
> ANYWAY, as always thank you so so much for reading and commenting and all those lovely things you all do. Find me on https://somethingaboutklance.tumblr.com/


	18. bill nye got nothing on us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance said, sitting criss-cross besides her and patting her head, "Just because it's magic doesn't mean it's not...science...too."

“What do you  _ mean _ it’s magic?!” Allura demanded, hands on her hips.

Keith tugged on his collar, “Well, apparently, Galra Casino has some kind of voodoo stuff going on that is the reason behind my collections. We’ve already explained everything we know.”

Pidge was on the ground, laying face down after hearing the news, “All my work. All my research...forfeit.”

“Aw, Pidge, c’mon,” Lance said, sitting criss-cross besides her and patting her head, “Just because it’s magic doesn’t mean it’s not...science...too.”

Pidge screamed.

Hunk took his time piecing everything together, “Wait, so you mean to tell me that the casino  _ owns souls _ ? Who runs it?  Do they have my soul too? Are we gonna become gambling zombies!?”

“No, Hunk,” Keith said, “They only own your soul if you loan something from the casino. You have to sign a contract too.”

“I knew there was something strange going on in that place,” Coran said, clenching his fist. 

Shiro shook his head, “I wish I would’ve know. I could’ve helped, maybe this would have turned out differently…”

Lance shot his head in the air, pointing at Shiro, “Nope, nope, nope, if anyone gets to feel bad about themselves it’s me. Back off.”

“Oh...kay?”

Allura asked Lance, “So is it true? Is your family trapped by Galra?” 

“Only me,” Lance replied, “My mom still works there because she thought she could work off some years for me, but she doesn’t have any debt on her name anyone. So yeah, I’ll be working at Galra for like, forever so haha bye guys have fun with your lives, I’m stuck working for a soul-sucking casino, I’m gonna jump off a-”

Lance silenced when Allura came over, knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She looked stern, confident, and smiled as she said, “We will solve this. I know it. Somehow, we will work together and bring down Galra.” After a quick nod to Pidge, she said, “Until then, perhaps we can take our minds off the magic and attempt to do some science? For poor Pidge’s sake, of course.”

Pidge groaned out a, “PLEASE!”

Lance laughed, “Sure thing. So what are you having me do? Gonna stick me with needles or something? Make me run around maze until I find the cheese?”

“Something like that.” Allura said, “First, vitals. Hunk, you can come help out. Lance, up on the bed with Keith.”

Lance hopped off the floor to sit next to his boyfriend, giving him a grin and nudging him on the shoulder, “Hey.”

Keith smiled back, “Welcome to the party.”

“The Party” consisted of Pidge, Hunk, and Allura walking around them both. Checking pulse, temperature, blood pressure, all the beginning of any doctor’s appointment. 

Of course, unlike the usual silent routine with Keith, they had to witness Lance’s outgoing, yet obnoxious, personality. Meaning unnecessary jokes and comments the entire time. Which was enough to make Keith choke on a tongue depressor because he was laughing too hard.

“Well, you two are healthy,” Hunk said, “Except for that weird mole behind your ear, Lance, you should get that checked out.”

Lance slapped a hand on his ear, feeling nothing there. He glared, “Hunk!”

Hunk ignored him, “My job is done, milady?” He gestured to Allura. 

She nodded, “Alright, boys. I have made up a series of exercises that will hopefully test the limits of your...bond.”

Lance cooed at Keith, “Oooo. Bond.”

“Ugh,” Keith groaned.

“Firstly, the last time Keith collected we attempted to see how far away Lance had to be until Keith to no longer reacted to his presence. Due to the...troubling circumstances we weren’t able to collect substantial data. I would like to do that now.”

“You aren’t gonna kill him, right?” Lance asked.

Also receiving a look from Shiro, Allura huffed, “ _ No.  _ We are going to use his tic as our testable variable.”

Hunk grabbed a ruler and Coran pulled out a timer. They were to be on Lance’s side, walking with him to receive the perfect data. They started with Keith standing against the back wall, to the back of the room, hooked up to a heart beat monitor. Lance stood directly in front of him. 

Lance, of course, took the opportunity to smirk, “Hey babe.”

Keith rolled his eyes, “Start walking, hot shot.”,

“Oh look, he thinks I’m hot.”

“Okay, start now.” Pidge said, staring intently at the numbers signifying Keith’s heartbeat. 

Lance turned on his heel and began walking, slowly, stopping every other step as he was instructed to. He gets across the room and then soon out of the door, where Shiro was holding it open for him. 

“He’s out the door,” Shiro said as Lance slowly walked past him, “That’s about 7 feet right now.”

Lance keeps walking for a little bit, looking over his shoulder through the door to see if there has been any change. When he’s a good way down the hall, he hears a suddenly loud beeping noise and Pidge yell, “It’s back! Lance, don’t move!”

He stopped in his tracked, but swiveled in his spot to look at Keith, and the machine that was nearly exploding with the speed of the his pulse. 

Keith, however, looked completely normal, as if his heart wasn’t going over 200 beats per minute. In fact, he looked bored as he fiddled with a candy wrapper. 

“I got 21 feet!” Hunk said. 

“Alright,” Allura said, “Lance, take two steps forward please.”

Lance took two steps forward.

Keith’s heart beat fell off it’s crazy pattern to a normal, steady rhythm. It should’ve affected his well being in some way, but, Keith causally popped a Jolly Rancher in his mouth.

_ Beep. Beep. Beep.  _

Pidge snickered, “Hey, Lance. One step back.”

Lance took a step back. 

_ Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep- _

“One step forward!

_ beepbeep-Beep. Beep. Beep. _

“Back again.” 

_ Beep. Beep. Bee-pbeepbeepbeepbeep- _

“Ugh, Pidge stop, that’s so annoying.” Keith said.

“Excellent!” Allura said, “Can you feel your heartbeat change? Does it hurt? Is there any pressure?”

Keith shrugged, “Not really, uh. Well, I feel like...a big thump when my heart picks up? Other than that I don’t really notice it.”

“Alright, come on back in.” Allura said, waving to people in the hall. 

When Lance began walking forward again, and Keith’s heartbeat went off slope again, which was something Lance would definitely have to get used to. 

After everyone’s data is written down, Lance asked, “What next?”

“Just a few questions,” Allura said, tapping her pencil on her clipboard, “First, Keith, so I’m guessing you were lying about Lance not affecting your last tic?”

Keith cringed, “Yeah…”

Pidge scoffed and grumbled, “Messing up my research…”

“Alright, second, does physical connection seem to affect your tics at all?”

“Uh...physical connection?” Lance asked.

“Yes. We already know that distance plays a role, I was curious if touch may change anything.” Allura asked. 

“Oh, uh, I don’t think so. No.” Keith said, refusing to look at Lance.

“Yep. Nope, not at all.” Lance concurred.

Everyone in the room gave them a disbelieving look. They eyed the couple who were crossing their arms, trying and failing to look natural.

“What are you two hiding?” Coran inquired.

“Hiding? Us? Pssh, no.” Lance said unconvincingly, “No way.”

“ _ Lance, _ ” Keith hissed.

Pidge said, “Let’s hear it.”

“Okay, fine.” Lance said, giving Keith a shrug, “They’ll figure it out eventually anyway.”

Keith protested, “No, they won’t, actually!”

“They might!”

“Keith,” Shiro spoke up, “I understand if this is personal, but if it’s going to help us, don’t you think we deserve to know?”

Keith looked defeated, and walked over to his previous spot on the bed, “Fine. But you’ll have to be patient. Lance and I don’t really understand this either. We kind of figured this out by accident and still aren’t sure how it works.”

Lance made his way to Keith as he talked, “Yeah, it might be nothing, but you know, here goes.”

With anticipation high in the room, Lance crawled onto Keith’s lap, straddling him, as they sat on the hospital bed.

“Uhhh, what?” Hunk said.

“Wow, get a room.” Pidge complained.

Lance groaned, “Just wait! You asked!”

And they did wait. Several minutes passed by while  Lance simply sitting in Keith’s lap. Something that no one in the room felt very comfortable with.

After some idle chatter to break the mood, Pidge finally said, “Is something supposed to be happening right now? Cause it kind of feels like we’re wasting time.” 

Keith agreed, “I told you, Lance.”

“Oh?” Lance asked, “You told me, huh? What exactly did you tell me?”

“That it wasn’t a big deal!”

“I sure thought it was a big deal! I don’t know about you, but I for one was a little freaked out about it!”

“That’s because you make a big deal over everything!”

Lance, having this argument on his boyfriend’s lap only about two inches away from his face while Keith grasped his waist, gasped, “At least I react to things unlike you!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re completely stoic all the time.  _ Oh look at me, I’m Keith and the only emotion I feel is angry of which I am all the time _ .”

“I’m not angry all the time!”

“Could’ve fooled me, Hulk.”

Hunk interfered, “Hey, guys, maybe we should-”

“At least I don’t go through twenty emotions in two seconds,”

“Are you implying that I have mood swings?”

“Yes, actually, I am! God, sometimes you are so-”

The conversation ended abruptly. But, unlike most conversations, this one ended with both participants suddenly collapsing on top of each other. 

Everyone didn’t move for a moment, until they started freaking out.

Shiro rushed over, asking, “What happened?”

Pidge called, “I don’t know! They just fell over but look at Keith’s monitor!”

There was no heartbeat.

“Oh my god, Lance!” Hunk ran over and placed his hand on his friend’s wrist, checking for a pulse, “Lance’s heart is going super fast!”

“Did he…” Allura stood shocked, “Hook him up to a machine!”

Shiro protested, “We need to bring them back!”

“But this may be incredibly-” Allura stopped when Coran placed a hand on her shoulder.

Coran said, “Allura, that can wait.”

She nodded, and said, “Separate them, we can't do anything while they are so close.”

Everyone agreed, and Hunk picked up Lance by his armpits, picking him up as he flopped limply over. As soon as the two unconscious boys were completely apart from each other, they both simultaneously woke up with a gasp.

The scrambling began as the entire room burst into a flurry of questions.

It came down simply to, “What happened?”

Keith, who recovered quickly, and was back to his normal heartbeat, sat up and said, “We’ve been realizing that after we spend a lot of time...very close to one another, we wake up a little bit later not remembering what happened or how much time has passed.”

“That’s remarkable.” Allura said, “You two really do have a connection.”

Lance was laying on the floor, leaned up against Hunk. Unlike Keith, who was back to normal, he seemed groggy and exhausted. Still, he pulled a sly smile, “Told ya, babe. We’re bonded.”

“Yeah, a deadly bond!” Hunk pointed out, “Keith, you  _ died. _ ”

“Did I?” Keith turned to Pidge for truth.

“We’re not sure. We didn’t want you out for long, but your heart did stop beating. The funny thing is that Lance  _ didn’t  _ die. His pulse just went crazy like your is now when he’s distanced. It’s like he adopted your tic.”

Lance said breathlessly, “Is, ah, is that why I’m feeling some major heartburn right now?” 

“Need a tums?” Coran asked.

Lance laughed, “I don’t think Tums will help with this magic voodoo stuff.”

“How often does this happened?” Shiro said.

Keith shrugged, “I’m not sure. I mean usually it happens after...uh…” 

“We can get details later,” Allura grimaced, “But in summary, it happens after you two experience physical contact for a long time?”

“Yes,” Keith concurred, “But it has to be, well, a lot. We can hold hands for a long time and nothing will happen.”

“Wait, so when you stop touching, you wake up, right? How do you wake up if you are both basically brain dead?” Pidge asked.

Allura thought for a moment and came up with an conclusion, “It’s more to study for sure, but I propose that they aren’t  _ both  _ dead. Keith, however, may be, but Lance simply adopts Keith’s tic, correct? Sure, the shock may have rendered him unconscious, but it didn’t kill him. Lance, are you an active sleeper?”

Lance nodded, “My mother said I used to be a sleep walker.”

“Oh,” Pidge caught on, “So once Lance lessens the contact by moving, they wake up?”

“That is what I believe.”

“Lance, Keith. Would you mind if we view and further research this new development?” Allura said, then, taking a look at Coran, she adds, “Unless you aren’t comfortable, we can always pick this up on another day.”

Lance picked himself off the floor and shrugged, “As long as we only take about 20 more minutes. I have to get to work soon.”

Allura nodded eagerly, “We will only keep you asleep for no more than 10, to be safe. Only gather vitals and other similar data.”

Keith agreed to try again. 

Shiro said, “Be careful. I’m staying until we’re done.”

“I’ll wake up,” Keith promised Shiro, “I’ll be okay.”

“I know.” Shiro sent a smile, “Anytime that heart monitor does flips it gives me a bad feeling.”

Keith scooted to the back of the hospital bed. Shiro was helping him by pressing the button to lift up the recliner, making it able for him to lay back. The guardian watched on with a grimace but an open mind. 

Lance hopped on the bed too, and smiled gently as he laid besides Keith. He reached his arms out and wrapped himself around Keith, nuzzling his face in his chest. 

“How are you feeling?” Keith asked Lance, tangling their legs together.

“Tired. Ready for this death cuddle to take me away.” 

“You’re so dramatic.” Keith laughed.

“You love it.”

Keith pressed a kiss to the top of Lance’s hair, “Yeah.”

They chatted back and forth for exactly 12 minutes and 39 seconds before they both quieted suddenly, and the rest of the team went to work.

They woke up 7 minutes and 3 pages of data later. Lance was picked up again by Hunk, finding himself across the room.

This time, clutching his chest, Lance threw over a grin, “Actually, second thought on those Tums, Coran...”

Coran was already pouring out two tablets and filling up a glass of water. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, what's up guys. You know sometimes when you are writing and things just...happen? And you aren't sure how it fits in but then you realize that hey, this actually makes sense! Wow!
> 
> That's this chapter. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, everyone. Hope you enjoyed season three! I know that I woke up at 4am to binge watch the entire season before I had to work at 6:30am.
> 
> Get on my level.


	19. the scream and the splash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen: I don't understand. All my life, I've been waiting for someone and when I find her, she's... she's a fish.  
> Freddie: Nobody said love's perfect.  
> -Splash (1984)
> 
> warnings: some more workplace harassment scenes

Lance was already on his toes when he heard the scream and the splash.

After he finished with Keith and their friends, he was on his way to work. No one wanted him to go. The casino felt laced with a new unearthed danger, and going to work felt different. Unlike most days of Lance dragging himself throughout the shift, he tiptoed cautiously, actively trying not to draw attention to himself.

The first half of his shift was spent alone, until his coworker showed up to assist him towards the end of the night.

Once she arrived, Lance took his break, where he met with his mother.

“Did you even try to call in?” He asked, standing in the line for food, collecting his and his mother’s food on one tray.

She huffed, holding her cast to her chest, “I did. They told me I had to have a doctor’s note within 24 hours. I’ll be off tomorrow and the next week. Oh, and I’ll take just a salad, please.”

Lance rolled his eyes and said, “Get some fries or something, ma.”

“You get some and I’ll pick off your plate.” She responded, “Anyway, I’ll be off, so you and your boy should come over again when you are free. We can have dinner.”

Lance smiled as they made their way over to the table, “Sounds good. I’ll see when Keith is free.”

They sat in the corner, isolated from everyone else. Then, Elisa whispered, “How are you two? How are you holding up?”

Lance shrugged, “I’m okay. More in denial than anything. It’s a lot to take in. I haven’t really had the time to sit down and process it.”

“Busy day?”

“Kind of. Keith and I skipped our morning classes to rest up, and then we went back to the hospital. Apparently our friends have been studying Keith’s superpower.”

Elisa raised an eyebrow, “As in medically?”

“Yeah, they were NOT happy.”

“I can only imagine.”

 

 

 

Dark faded into the sky. It had been an exhausting shift and midnight seemed so far away.

His coworker remained oddly silent most of the day. This was the same girl he worked with often, and one of the only people he really enjoyed to be around.

So when he heard her scream followed by a large splashing sound, he immediately ran outside to investigate.

“Plaxum?” He called for her. Outside in the chilly air, four or five grown men stood, cans of beer in their hands. They had already caused trouble earlier, trying to sneak things into the pool that weren’t allowed. Lance was not a fan.

He couldn’t find Plaxum among them, not until he heard a gasp for air. Her hair stuck to her forehead as she breached from underwater, soaking towels floated around her.

“Plaxum, oh my god!” Lance rushed over to the side of the pool, about jump in and help her out.

“I’m fine, I know how to swim,” Plaxum said, as she trudged out of the pool, completely soaked from top to bottom.

Plaxum wasn’t thrown aside so easily, and in her drenched clothes, she stormed to the men and demanded, “You need to leave. Now.”

“You look hot,” Said one man, swaying back and forth, “Need another dip to cool down?”

As the other men laughed, he made a grab for Plaxum again. This time Lance threw himself in between them.

With Plaxum behind his back, Lance glared down at the drunk, “I’m calling security. You should leave before they get here.”

Lance and Plaxum hurried off to the janitor’s closet, where they could lock the door behind them. They were followed by ignorant shouts of, “You guys are dicks! You can’t fucking talk to me like that!”

When they were safe, Lance asked, “What happened?”

Plaxum covered herself with a towel Lance had grabbed for her, “I don’t know! I walked by them then one guy picked me up and threw me in!”

“I’m seriously calling security.” Lance reached for the walkie talkie.

“No, you can’t!”

“We gotta get them out of here before they do something even worse!”

Plaxum pleaded, “Please, don’t, I can’t draw any more attention to myself, not after…”

Lance paused, “Is...is it the debt?”

Plaxum looked up, wiped her eye and nodded, “Yeah, uh. My father got sick and he wasn’t looking good. He needed a surgery but our insurance wouldn’t cover it.”

“Oh no…”

“So yeah,” Plaxum sighed, shoulders down, defeated, “I took a loan out from the casino. But he got better. The surgery was a success.”

“How much?”

“17 more years.”

Lance closed his eyes and winced, “Plaxum, I’m so-”

They heard a pounding on the door, and obnoxious drunken laughing, “Hey, girl, we’re _sorry._ Don’t you want to come out and play with us?”

“I’m calling security.” Lance said, grabbing the walkie and holding it up to his mouth.

Plaxum made a grab for this arm, “Lance, no.”

He was already pressing down the button, “Security to the pool, security to the pool. We have some people who need to be removed.”

A moment later, crackling laughter came through, “Ha! Oh we know, we saw it on the cameras. Y’all have fun with your swim? Ha!”

“What the hell,” Lance swore.

Plaxum scoffed, “Of course, they don’t care either.” She leaned on the wall, completely defeated.

Lance was thinking of what to do when a voice, lower and full of static came through, “I’m on my way.”

“Who was that?” Plaxum asked.

“I don’t know. We should wait in here until they show up.”

It didn’t take long before Lance and Plaxum heard the men arguing with someone. As the drunks yelled the security guard spoke in a calm, low voice. It was neutral but threatening.

It did the job, with aggressive protests the men left the pool area.

Lance ran out of the room as soon as the men left. When he walked outside, he saw the security guard making his way out.

“Hey!” Lance called after him, “Thank you-”

The man turned around and the first thing Lance noticed was his badge that read: 

“Thace,” Lance said aloud.

The man raised an eyebrow, “Do you need anything else?”

Immediately, Lance said, “My name is Lance McClain Martinez, my mother-”

Thace stopped him by holding up a hand. He took out a business card and a pen from his pocket, scribbling on the back. He casually handed it to Lance, saying, “Call if you need anything.”

Lance watched him walk away with confusion. Until he looked down at the card.

_Marmora Bar and Grill_

_6:30pm, February 9th_

_No more than two people may enter_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy! It's our boy Thace! And Plaxum!!
> 
> Hey guys! Sorry for the less-routine updates lately! School just started up and I'm doing my best to ease into it, but once I get my schedule going, everything will get back to normal!
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me and commenting and all those lovely things you do! We are nearing the end, so everyone hang tight!


	20. 50 non-cliché second-date ideas that beat dinner and a movie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Who likes making reservations, anyways?"
> 
> -http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/advice/g928/second-date-ideas/?slide=7

As the smell of fresh home cooking danced throughout the house and the heavy background noise of multiple conversations buzzed in his ear, Lance followed behind his mother, carrying a dish.

“You will not be going.” His mother said, using her good hand to place a dish on the table.

Sitting around the table was the crew, who already knew about the meeting. Everyone had thought it would be an excellent idea to tell Elisa about it, since she knew the most about the situation. Lance said it was a very, very bad idea.

For obvious reasons.

Everyone around the table gave Lance the eye, urging him to convince her. Lance groaned, set the dish down and then followed his mother back into the kitchen.

“We have to at least see what he has to say!” Lance protested.

Elisa stopped, then turned to his son with a glare that stopped him in his tracks, “I will not let you walk in my footsteps, Lance!”

“Mama, I’m not! We’re trying to find a way to fix this!”

“And what do you think I was trying to do when I went? Mess it up? No! I was trying to fix it too and look where that left us!”

“Mama!”

Elisa shook her head, “I don’t want to hear any more of this,” She handed Lance a basket of bread rolls, “Put this on the table.”

Lance grunted and then walked back to the table, as everyone looked at him curiously.

“So…?” Hunk asked, “How’s it going?”

Lance set the bread down and then threw his hands in the air, “It’s not!”

As he grumpily sat down in his chair next to Keith, Elisa walked in, her hands on her hips. She said, “Are you all in this too? Is that why you are all here?”

No one said anything, just looked around the room at each other.

Elisa huffed, “And to think that my son wanted to introduce me to his friends…”

Jumping up in his seat, Lance protested, “Mama, it’s not just about that. Of course I wanted my friends to meet you! At the same time, they are all affected by this, and we all made the decision together.”

Everyone nodded, then Allura said, “Ma’am, you know the most about this than anyone here. We wanted not only your blessing, but your assistance.”

Elisa crossed her arm, making a face as if someone had told her to eat something gross, “No. It is too dangerous, too risky.”

Lance sat down and slumped, running a hand down his face.

“Elisa, if you would listen-” Allura began again.

“And you! You, Shiro and Coran should understand! You are grown adults! Shiro, are you not Keith’s guardian? How do you feel about this?”

Everyone looked pointedly at Shiro. Keith, above all, pleaded with his eyes. His uncle was opening up to Keith’s newfound independence, but still wasn’t always on board.

Shiro made brief eye contact with Keith, then looked towards Elisa. Politely, he said, “May we speak in private?”

Dropping his arms, Elisa nodded, then took off to the kitchen. Shiro followed her.

Lance whispered to Keith, “What do you think he’s gonna say?”

“I have no idea,” Keith replied, “Hopefully it’s helpful.”

“So, like, can we eat now or…?” Hunk asked, eyeing the bread rolls.

Lance rolled his eyes, “Hunk, this is a _serious matter_ , and dude, no offense, but why did you bring Shay? Did you tell her?!”

Hunk said, “You know how bad I am at keeping secrets!”

“You kept this a secret from me for a whole year!”

“The food smells lovely.” Shay mentioned from her seat at the table, not looking confused at all with the surrounding conversation.

Lance, for the second time, ran his hands down his face in exasperation. Keith gently patted him on the head.

Shiro and Elisa came back, both looking downcast. Downcast, with a pinch of hopeful. Everyone latched onto that hopefulness tightly.

It did not disappoint. Shiro and Elisa both took their seats before the mother said, “Very well. You may meet with Thace, Lance.”

Lance grinned but attempted to contain the rest of his joy and asked seriously, “Thank you. I promise I will be careful.”

“I know, because Shiro will be with you.”

Keith protested, “What?” He turned to Shiro, “I thought you trusted me! I should be the one going with Lance!”

Shiro quickly raised his hands, “Calm down, Keith! We all know you and Lance will both be going. She meant I’ll be with you, guiding you along. We all will be.”

“Huh?” Keith said, feeling embarrassed over his outburst.

Pidge spoke up, “I got a hold of tiny mics a while ago. You know those that spies and shit use? I thought I could finally test them out.”

Coran grinned, “We’ll be like Alfred to your Batman!”

Lance raised an eyebrow,  “How did you get those?”

“I have my ways,” The eighteen year old grinned.

“So, I know that we have to plan this very important meeting with very important possibly scary people, but, I was just wondering, if it was possible to start eating maybe now?” Hunk asked sheepishly.

Elisa laughed, “Of course, of course! I didn’t make all this food so we could stare at it!”

Hunk didn’t need to be told twice.

 

 

 

“Do we have to wear these?” Lance asked, hiding the mic in his over-sized scarf around his neck, fashionable, but also a excellent disguise.

Shiro, placing the transmitter in Keith’s ear, said, “Yes. We need to know what’s going on in there.”

They agreed that Keith would be the only one that could pull off wearing the mic in his ear without making it obvious, thanks to a certain mullet he wore. So Lance would have the microphone that processed sound to the other while Keith would be able to hear what everyone was saying.

This system also encouraged Lance to do most of the talking, while Keith listened directly for cues and warnings, keeping a close eye on the situation. All while keeping them together at all times.

Everyone was gathered at the student center of the college, which was only a few blocks away from the meeting destination.

“Remember,” Allura said, “This is only a meeting for information, please do not sign any contracts without first letting everyone look over it. We have no idea whether or not we can trust these people.”

The boys both nodded.

Shiro took Keith aside a moment, placing a hand on his shoulder and talking quietly.

In the meantime, Shay approached Lance and handed him a small blue rock.  

“Uh, thanks?” Lance played with the soft, smooth light blue stone in his hand. He hadn’t known his was fidgeting until now.

“It’s a tumbled blue lace agate,” Shay explained, “It’s meant to clear the mind and balance emotions. It will help enhance speech and expressions. I thought perhaps it may be helpful for you today.”

Holding the stone tightly in his hand, Lance repeated, genuinely and with a smile, “Thank you.”

Shay shrugged, “Good luck.”

With that, Keith and Lance departed from the group and made their way towards Marmora.

“How are you feeling?” Lance asked, taking Keith’s hand as they walked.

Keith looked to the ground, “I just want to know what happened. I want to know if we can fix this.”

Lance didn’t reply, but he understood. They had reached the entrance.

Lance squeezed Keith’s hand before he let go, he said, loud enough for the mic in his scarf to pick up, “Let’s go inside.”

They did and it was calm. Dimly lit, old music playing in the background, like any bar would be mid-day. A few people here and there sat drinking or watching the TV in the corner.

The two were moving towards the bartender to ask about Thace when the man himself swooped in and waved them to follow him.

Nodding at each other, they did so. He let them to a table in a separate room, it looked like it was already set up for their meeting, as a few big binders were set at the end of the table.

Once they sat down, there was no introductions or explanations. Thace pulled out a binder and started flipping through it.

“You are Lance Martinez-McClain...twenty years old...just about twenty years of debt left…” Thace  marked some notes on the page, then he looked up, “I would like to ask a few questions about your family.”

Keith jumped in, “We are here to get answers, not give them. My name is Keith Kogane, my parents died in a car accident when I was twelve, and now I can’t die. Why?”

Lance could tell that someone was talking in Keith’s ear by the way he tilted his head and grimaced, but he pressed forward.

Thace raised an eyebrow, then closed his binder, pulling out a new one while saying, “Is your mother Jin Soo Kogane?”

“Was.” Keith spat, “She was my mother.”

Thace nodded, “Yes, my apologies, we are aware. We didn’t know if you had survived either, it was a….futile test that we encouraged her not to do. But she was desperate and still she went without supervision.”

“She was trying to help people!”

Thace looked up to say, “She was trying to prove a point.”

“What?” Keith asked.

Thace explained, “She came up with the idea, she made the contract. We had told her that it wouldn’t work, that it was dangerous. She should’ve had just disappeared as we had planned, but she brought more people into it.”

“It didn’t work, did it?” Lance asked, then further said, “Keith is tied to my family, whenever they get hurt, he does too, but he can never die. It is because something messed up?”

Thace closed the binder, and said, slowly, “Yes and no.”

Explaining further, Thace said, “The only way to remove one’s debt is to pay it back, or to collect your soul, as in to die. So the way to erase your debt is to convince the Galra that you have died.”

“So when we were in the car accident…”

“The Kogane family was supposed to die, yes. That was the plan. You all would take on all the debt, die, but then come back and live a normal life. It only worked with you, Keith. It failed with your mother and father.”

“Why?” Keith asked, “Why was I different?”

Thace gestured to Lance, “There was a flaw in the plan. As we had thought. Your mother and father took on two different families, while you took on the Martinez McClain’s. In the other families, they took on all the debt. At the time of the Kogane’s death, the other family member must too die, so completely erase the debt. The difference was when it was time to come back, your mother and father did not. But there was nothing to bring them back. However, you were anchored, you came back because you did not fulfill the contract. The debt still exists. You came back because your duty was to clear the debt. You will keep dying over and over until the debt is cleared. But, because of Lance and the debt on his soul, there is no way for that to truly happen. I would believe that anytime you are close to him for too long, you see side effects, yes?”

Keith nodded, “Yes.”

Lance spoke, “Wait, am I...killing Keith? Is this my fault?”

Thace shook his head, “It’s more complicated than that. Yes, your existence reminds Keith’s soul of the contract, but you are the reason he’s still alive. You were the key to the plan.”

“So...Keith’s a walking zombie?” Lance asked.

Thace quirked his eyebrow at the statement, “I suppose...you could say that.”

Keith leaned forward, demanding the conversation to go back to the solemnity that Lance had lightheartedly tried to dismiss, “How do we fix this?”

“I have a proposal for you, Keith.” Thace opened the binder and began shuffling through papers again, “You have a special gift, an ability created on accident, and can not be easily replicated. We could use your help.”

“What would you have me do?” Keith asked.

Lance shuffled, leaning over to make sure the mic caught everything that was going on. He wished he had the earpiece to hear the team’s input.

Thace was already pulling out a pen as he spoke, “We now know how to erase debt from people’s souls, vaguely. You are in all terms, immune to the Galra and their contracts. As long as Lance is alive that is.”

“Whoa, whoa, what do you mean, _as long as I’m alive_?” Lance sputtered.

“If you die, you no longer have debt. If you no longer have debt, Keith’s contract is complete and he will die as well, as his parent’s did. However, if Keith takes on someone else’s debt, on top of yours, when him and the other family member dies, he will come back as he’s supposed to. Because he still needs to erase your debt.”

“So what you are saying is that....I can help more people?” Keith asked.

“Yes.” Thace was uncapping the pen, “You will take on the family’s debt, you and the family will experience a momentary death, then will continue on.”

“So I’ll be dying a lot more often.” Keith grimaced.

“But it will be in a controlled environment,” Thace said, “Which was the flaw that your mother ran into. The Martinez McClain family did not die all at once, therefore it was sporadic and random.”

“Keith…” Lance said, “Think about this.”

Keith was, he had his eyebrow furrowed and was staring intently at the paper in front of him. As if he was willing the words to appear as something they weren’t.

“Of course, it will all be on your time.” Thace said, “And we could pay you for your service.”

Keith looked up and narrowed his eyes, trying to make it seem like he didn’t care about the money. Still, he asked, “How much?”

Thace shrugged, “How much would you pay to spare your family of lifetime of labor connected to a homicidal company? Hundreds, maybe thousands.”  

“But I would be helping people?” Keith said, but it was quiet, and Lance could tell he was trying to talk while someone was yelling in his ear. It was almost too obvious.

“Immensely.”

Lance watched wide-eyed as Keith took the pen from Thace.

 

 

 

Keith read over the contract. He wasn’t an idiot, he wasn’t going to be an idiot.

But he was going to sign it.

Why wouldn’t he?

Sure, a few more deaths here and there would suck, but at least this time he was doing it for a good reason.

Not saying that Lance’s family wasn’t a good enough reason, but he could do more.

He knew Thace was trying to convince him. He listened but still tried to make the decision for himself.

In all, what choice did he have? How was he supposed to stand by when he’s the only one who could help?

When Thace said, “It’s what your mother was working for. You can continue her work,” it didn’t leave Keith with a second thought.

Except for the voice in his ear telling him, “ _Keith, remember what we said. Don’t sign anything yet.”_

Keith tried to dismiss Shiro’s advice. This was his choice. He bit his lip.

“Let me see the contract.” He said, and Thace eagerly handed it over.

As he looked over it, Shiro was talking, being very distracting, “ _Keith, we can’t see it. Just bring it out with you. It’s time to go.”_

Shiro and the others couldn’t see the contract, but Lance, who was leaning over his shoulder could. He said, “Keith, we should really give this some thought. This is...a really big commitment.”

“ _Lance is right,”_ This was Allura speaking, _“I’m not sure if we should trust these people.”_

Keith didn’t care what they thought. This wasn’t _their_ body. This wasn’t _their_ ability. This was his.

It was his choice.

“Where do I sign?”

 _“Keith, what are you doing?! Don’t sign anything!”_ Shiro demanded in his ear. He heard the background noise of people talking quickly.

Next to him, Lance said, “Keith, don’t!”

Thace offered, “Maybe you should go get a drink, Lance. Ulaz can help you with something while Keith and I will talk further.”

 Lance shook his head, “No way, I’m not leaving him here alone with you.”

Keith didn’t look up when he said, “Go, Lance.”

“What?”

His eye flickered as he said, “Go ahead and head out, I’ll be fine here. Let everyone know that everything is okay.”

“ _Keith! You can’t do this! You two need to stick together! It’s time to go!”_ Shiro yelled.

Keith grimaced and reached and took out the earpiece. Lance gasped as Keith handed it to him.

The look Lance was giving him was heart-breaking, as if he couldn’t believe that Keith was really doing this.

Keith tried to give him a smile, “I’ll be right out, okay?”

“I’m not leaving you,” Lance said, his sorrowful look fading into a determined glare.

“He can stay in the bar,” Thace said, attempting to lower to tension.

“Lance,” Keith said, “I can handle this.”

“Handle what? What are you even trying to do here?!” Lance began to raise his voice.  

Keith took a deep breath, then said, “Lance.”

Lance looked at his boyfriend with a incredulous look, mouth opened slightly. He then clamped his jaw and said, “Fine.”

He stood up, waving away Ulaz, who attempted to show him the way out. He turned back to Keith and said, “I hope you know what you are doing,” before he left.

After the place settled with Lances exit, Thace raised an eyebrow to Keith, “That was dramatic.”

Keith didn’t respond to the joke, instead he turned to Thace. Expression deadly serious, he demanded, “How can I save him?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is Keith up to this time??
> 
> Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I appreciate all of your feedback!


	21. hazy love lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Come back into the good life,  
> Lose these hazy love lies  
> I've been chasing my mind  
> Lonely in the cold nights"  
> -Without You, Oh Wonder

Angry wouldn’t be the word to describe how Lance felt. Maybe pissed, although that is still too...soft. He felt vivid, annoyed, disturbed. Heat boiling, clogging up the rising lump in his throat.

Still, deep in the back of his heart, he was crushed with an empty, broken feeling he couldn’t quite name.

He walked out of the bar and paced back and forth.

How could Keith do that? Just kick him out, push him to the side?

How could Lance just leave? He should’ve fought more, he should go back inside.

He looked through the window, but he couldn’t see Keith.

_Shit!_

“ _Lance? Keith? What’s happening?”_ He heard the small voice out of the earpiece that was clenched in his fist.

He put it in his ear, and spoke into the receiver in his scarf, “Keith just kicked me out!” He said.

“ _Okay,_ ” He heard Pidge say, “ _One: Loud. Two: What do you mean, he kicked you out?_ ”

“I mean just that! He was all like, ‘Lance, how about you go outside for a little bit because I’m cooler and more mature than you and I can handle this myself!’”

_“Oh what the hell. Shiro left and should be over there in a second.”_

Lance affirmed and rubbed his head, this wasn’t supposed to be this hard. They were supposed to be working as a team, and yet, Keith still was a stubborn as always. Working against everyone to carry the world on his shoulders.

Lance kept pacing back and forth until Shiro showed up, demanding what happened.

“I don’t know!” Lance said, “He asked me to leave! I mean, he wasn’t really _rude_ about it but still! I have no idea what he’s doing in there!”

“Did it look like he was going sign anything?” Shiro asked.

Lance frowned, “There was that one about him like...getting money for using his ability. I told him to wait!”

Shiro shook his head, “I know he can handle himself...but he doesn’t have to. I’m going to go in.”

He doesn’t have to, because as Shiro walked past Lance, Keith emerges from the bar. Unescorted and with a piece of paper in his hand.

Shiro instantly is on top of him, asking, “What were you thinking?”

“I was just trying to get more information,” Keith frowned.

“You were supposed to stick together, and we had the microphones for a reason. Why did you have to separate?”

Keith grimaced, and said, “Couldn’t you tell? They weren’t going to let me leave without signing anything at first. I had to move their attention away from the contract. Look, I didn’t sign anything.” He held up the paper, “This is what we needed, right?”

Shiro didn’t look like he completely believed Keith’s excuse. Still, he took the paper from him and said, “Yes. Let’s get back to the group.”

Keith hanged back a bit, letting Shiro take the lead while he walked besides Lance. His boyfriend was looking at the ground, kicking rocks.

“Sorry,” Keith said.

Lance grimaced, “That was a dick move.”

“I guess,”

“Let’s just walk,” Lance said.

And they did.

  


 

Keith was given several more lectures by the time they all got back to their cars. They agreed they would meet back at Allura’s house to go over the contract.

They had taken Hunk’s car and Shiro’s SUV. On the way there it was Shiro, Lance, Allura, and Keith in Shiro’s car while Shay, Hunk, and Pidge rode in the other.

On the way back, Lance offered to ride with Hunk.

Everyone was obviously surprised by this, making glances to Keith’s locked jaw, but no one spoke out.

Until they got in the vehicles.

“Can you believe he did that?” Lance said, taking the front seat while the girls squished in the back.

At the wheel, Hunk said, “Yeah, what happened in there? We could hardly hear.”

“I don’t know, ask him!” Lance yelled.

In the other car, Shiro was doing just that, “What were you thinking?”

“I already told you!” Keith defended, “Why are you still mad at me?”

“Are you still mad at him?” Shay leaned over the seat and spoke to Lance, who was clutching the stone tightly in his hand, “Did he apologize?”

Lance gritted his teeth, “Yes! I mean, he _did_ apologize and I _am_ still mad! He pushed me away, we are supposed to be a team!”

Shiro shook his head while driving, saying, “You are supposed be apart of a team, especially when it comes to your relationship with Lance,”

“I know! I don’t know why this is such a big deal!” Keith threw his hands in the air.

Hunk swerved into right turn as he said, “Of course, it’s a big deal! And if he doesn’t see that, that’s his problem. I love the guy, but he’s not the best with emotions. You are going to need to talk to him.”

Leaning on his arm, looking out the window, Lance sighed, “I don’t know, I mean, he apologized. Maybe I should just drop it.”

Allura placed her hand on Keith’s shoulder, “You know Lance better than any of us. You know how he gets, how he feels, what he fears. Keith, you may not realize or have meant it, but in Lance’s mind, you cast him aside.  Whatever your reasons may be, you very forcibly removed him from a risky situation, implying you didn’t need him. How else he supposed to feel?”

“Oh,”

Pidge tugged on Lance’s hair, making him face her, “You know Keith in a different way than the rest of us do, and you know how he gets. He’s stubborn and has a one-set mind, but he loves you. As disgusting as it is to watch you two make heart eyes at each other, it’s true. So just...tell him how you feel or something. He didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“But how can I know that he trusts me after this?” Lance asked.

“I think maybe was doing something more than trying to make a distraction. I think I saw a piece of extra paper in his pocket.”

“Oh,”

 

 

 

They all got there at the same time, and slowly piled out of the car. Everyone dispersed, heading towards the house. Lance and Keith made for each other, meeting up in the middle, although they were a few feet apart.

“Hey man,” Lance started, “I just want to say that, what you did back there...it didn’t feel good.”

Keith closed his eyes and sighed, “I know, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t thinking about how it would make you feel.”

Lance laughed dryly, “I know, Keith. That’s the thing, you don’t think about my feelings when you do things. I love you, Keith. I want you to trust me.”

“I do trust you!” Keith insisted, stepping forward and grabbing Lance’s hands, “I love you so much, and I’m sorry if my actions don’t show that. I promise...I promise I’ll try harder. I want you to know I love you.”

Lance gripped Keith’s hands tighter, and pressed his forehead to his boyfriend’s, “I love you too. Thank you, that’s all I ask.”

Keith nudged his nose against Lance’s cheek as his lips found their way. The kiss was slow and soft, pressing gently together, parting just enough to make the kiss more intimate but not enough to lead to anything more.

They parted soon after. Only then did Keith realize the somberness of the kiss, and how Lance stared at the ground while they walked together towards the door.

 

 

 

After reading the contract, calling Coran over for assistance, and reviewing it again, they had come to the conclusion that the contract was just as it appeared to be. A contract for a job like you would find at any other establishment.

It clearly listed what was expected. Keith would come to Marmora Bar and Grill whenever they had a ‘client’. He would met the family and, then, under circumstances of fatal injection, him and the family would die. After that, they would both come back and Keith would be on his way. With a large amount of money in his pocket.

No tricks, no loopholes. Keith could choose when the appointments were, would work around his schedule, and if he wanted to stop at any time-he could.

They all sat around the living room as Keith clenched the papers.

“You were right, Keith,” Shiro said, sitting on the table in front of him. He reached down and handed him a pen, “It’s your choice.”

Keith nodded and took the pen. After looking at it for a moment, he looked around the room. All these people were here for him, with him. They knew about his past and his crazy ability and his reckless behavior. They witnessed him go off on his own and separate himself from them. Still, they stood were still with him. Allura, standing arms crossed and brows furrowed, seriously debating the best move. Hunk and Shay, sitting by each other. Shay held Hunk’s hands tightly as he tapped in foot in anxiety. Pidge sat on the chair right beside Keith, still reading the contract over his shoulder. He knew she wouldn’t forgive herself if she missed something. Coran stood to the side, watching the scene cautiously with the oversight of wisdom and trust.

Shiro, who wanted to be the protector, tighten the reins and take matters into his own hands. Over the last few weeks, Keith had watched his learn to let go and let him make his own choices. Now, he sat in front of him, letting him choose, but letting him know he wasn’t alone.

Right by his side, thigh pressing against his own, sat Lance. He was biting his lip, something he only did when he was too nervous for comfort. Since usually, lip biting was very bad for having healthy lips, something only Lance would know.  Keith couldn’t place how Lance felt. He didn’t know if he was still mad at him, or if he was simply nervous and upset. Attempting to put himself in Lance’s shoes, Keith supposed that he would still be a little bitter about what he had done too.

He didn’t know a whole lot about how the world worked, but Keith knew that he loved Lance. He knew that Lance was outgoing and selfless and brave. That he was funny even though most of his jokes were dumb, he could make Keith smile just by smiling himself. He knew that when Lance cared about someone, he cared with his whole heart.

Although it seemed crazy, Keith knew that Lance loved him too.

“This doesn’t affect just me,” Keith said, looking around the room, “You guys are my friends. I want to hear your opinions. In the end, yes, it’s my choice. But I want you all to be involved with it. Which means listening to what you have to say and taking your advice.”

With that, everyone went around the room and said their peace. Even Shay gave her opinion, which wasn’t much besides, “Do what’s best for you and be safe,” but it was still received with a smile.

“I’m worried,” Shiro said, hand wrapped around the bicep of his prosthetic, “I’m afraid that something will go wrong and that you won’t come back. I’ve always been afraid of that. After everything that’s happen, I  want to say that you should forget about your ability and try to avoid it. Try to live a normal life. But I know that we’ve tried that before, and now that you aren’t, you seem happier. Less stressed and angry. I trust you, Keith. I want you to be happy, even if it means you are taking risks. I’ll be there for you whatever you decide.”

Keith nodded, taking it all in gratefully. He turned to Lance.

Lance was looking down, he twisted at the hem of his shirts, “I want you to be okay. I wish we could just be okay.”

The others in the room felt as if they were witnessing a truly intimate moment when Keith took Lance’s hands and brought them to his lips.

“But…” Lance sighed, “I know that this can help people. I know that _you_ want to help people. If this is the way to do it, then I’m with you.”

Keith smiled and put Lance’s hands down, keeping one intertwined as he reached over and signed the paper.

After that, they spent time together as usual. They laughed and smiled and Lance forgot to ask Keith about the piece of paper in his pocket.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Oh once school starts up I'l update more often"
> 
> Why did I try to lie to you all.
> 
> Thank you for sticking around, hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	22. flirting with death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warnings: EXPLICIT SMUT, this stuff is sinful, y'all. 
> 
> If you aren't in the mood for some sexy-sexy-sex-times, stop reading after "Count me in" 
> 
> If you are however...enjoy

In order to have clean skin, you have to know your face. You need to understand your exact skin tone, how sensitive your skin is, and if you have bad reactions to anything in order to perfect your routine. Some people need a simple face wash and to exfoliate here and there and then they were pimple-free for life. Others have conditions where it was necessary to have that special sort of stuff to keep a clear, smooth face.

By now in his vast skin-care journey, Lance had perfected how to properly treat his own face. He had his line of products that were perfect in keeping his face soft and balanced.

So the fact that he was getting a pimple was outrageous.

“Hunk! Look at this!” Lance said, pointing to a spec ( _a spec_ ) on his cheek, “Do you see this?!”

Hunk could not look at it because he was driving the three of them (himself, Pidge, and Lance) back to their apartment, “Lance, you are beautiful.”

“But I am flawed!” Lance twisted around in his seat to show Pidge said flaw, “Pidge! Please! Tell me the truth!”

Pidge leaned in, examining it, “Wait, do you mean-” Quickly, Pidge licked her hand and slapped Lance in the face.

Lance _shrieked_.

“Oh my god, Lance, could you be any louder?” Hunk winced, trying to focus on the road.

“HOW DARE YOU!” Lance yelled at Pidge, somehow being louder than he was before, “IN MY TIME OF WEAKNESS! TOUCH MY BEAUTIFUL FACE WITH YOUR GREASY PIZZA-EATING OILY GREMLIN HANDS!”

Pidge only cackled.

“I’m getting a stress headache.” Hunk sighed.

“Well, I’m getting stress _pimples_ because my boyfriend is at yet another dying appointment where he _dies_ . Hear that Hunk? My boyfriend has a job where he _dies for money_.”

“He’s like a prostitute for the grim reaper…” Pidge murmured.

For a moment, and only a moment, the car was silent as they all thought over what Pidge had said.

Then it erupted in regularly scheduled chaos as Lance whipped around and started hitting Pidge (who had erupted with loud cackling) with his shoe, yelling, “ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT MY BOYFRIEND IS FUCKING THE GRIM REAPER?”

Hunk gripped the steering wheel and muttered, “What did I do to deserve this?”

 

 

 

The three of them were half way through Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron (a good and wholesome movie) when Keith walked in.

Lance lept over the couch to catch his boyfriend in an embrace, nuzzling against the back of his neck, “How’d work go, babe?”

Keith laughed as he set his bag on the floor, “It was so amazing that I died.”

“Wow, tell me more,” Lance helped tug his jacket off.

Pidge called from her spot, taking up most of Lance and Hunk’s couch, “Did your tic change?”

Keith shook his head and pouted, “No. Fucking sodium thiopental.”

Since Keith’s tics are connected to the way he dies, dying from the same thing as often as he did was having funny consequences.

Sodium Thiopental, when it’s not being used in high doses to kill people, is usually used to put patients in induced comas. It also has been rumored to be used as a truth serum, weakening people’s resolve and making them more likely to comply.

The first time Keith came back from an appointment, his filter was completely absent. More than it usually was, which was not a lot at all. Not only that, but he would basically do whatever anyone told him to. Which was great for homework, but not for the arguments he would often get in with random strangers.

Now, he’s been annoyingly tired after every meeting. Almost like he’s hungover or just pulled an all-nighter. The only thing that saves him is unnecessary amounts of caffeine, in any and every form. Without it, he’s a zombie on ice.

Except for when he’s with Lance, who still snaps him back to normal. Well, lately, ‘normal’ has been him getting really, really energetic whenever Lance is around. Like a kid on a sugar high.

Everyone else thought it was strange, seeing their local punk rock emo boy hopping around like a bunny, but Lance thought it was cute.

Keith let Lance take off his jacket and then he smiled brightly at him, “Guess what!”

“What, baby?” Lance asked.

Keith waved a check around, “Look at this!”

Lance accepted the slip and Keith laughed as his jaw dropped, “Holy shit, Keith!”

Pidge and Hunk turned over, looking inquisitively.

Waving the form in the air, Lance looked between every person in the room before throwing his arms around his boyfriend, “How the hell did you get this much money?!”

Keith caught him, “The person we worked with today had like over a hundred years on him! And if he could get out of it, his inheritance tripled or some business stuff like that.”

“Oooo!” Pidge cooed, always in the mood to exploit rich people, “How much did you get?”

“7. Thousand. Dollars.” Lance said, holding Keith to his chest, awkwardly petting his head.

Hunk sobbed.

Keith laughed, pushing himself out of Lance’s weird grasp, “I think the guy had like 5 children or something that he’s been getting pressure to choose from and stuff.”

Lance set the check down carefully on the counter, before pulling Keith to the couch with him, “So are you gonna be my sugar daddy now?”

“Your what?”

Pidge chipped in, “Lance wants you to buy him things.”

“Pidge!”

“Lance really wants you to buy him things.” Hunk helped.

“No, no, no!” Lance shook his head. Then he cuddled up to Keith, snuggling into his chest as Keith moved his arm around his back and shoulders. Lance said, “All of those things are wrong.”

Keith smiled and pinched Lance’s chin between his fingers, “Oh yeah? Then what do you want?”

Lance blinked twice then said, “I really _really_ want you to buy me things.”

The pair looked at each other for a little while, Lance smiling sweetly as Keith raised an eyebrow, amused.

Keith leaned down and whispered, “How much do you care about this movie?”

Lance replied, “Not enough.”

With that, Keith didn’t waste much time grabbing his hand and tugging them both out of the room and into Lance’s.

“The walls are thin!” Pidge yelled, “Remember that!”

“Would you like to go get some ice cream?” Hunk asked sweetly.

Pidge smiled, “I would love to. Are we bringing back any for Lance and Keith?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Count me in.”

 

 

 

Whether or not they had been asked, Lance and Keith weren’t in the mood for ice cream.

By the time the door shut behind Hunk and Pidge, the other occupants of the house were locked lips. Lance laying back-down on his bed, sinking into the fabric of his blue striped comforter as his boyfriend presses down on him.

“Ah-Keith,” Lance moaned, his back arching as Keith tugged the collar of his shirt to bite at his skin, “Yo-your watch.”

Keith huffed. With a tender kiss on the bruise he was working on, he pulled back. Keith stood up at the end of the bed, and tugged off his shirt before he started fiddling with the watch on his wrist.

As he set a timer for 11 minutes, Lance peeled off his shirt as well, threw it to the side, and propped himself up on his elbows. Keith painfully did his best to set the timer quickly. The view of his boyfriend lounging half naked, chest heaving as he breathed, looking him up and down, was killing Keith.

“Stop looking at me like that.” Keith said.

Lance didn’t stop his trailing gaze as his eyes landed on Keith’s mouth, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Keith rolled his eyes, “You don’t have to do your ‘I’m so sexy’ act, Lance. I get it. You’re hot stuff. Now, take off your pants so I can blow you.”

Eagerly cutting the act, Lance stripped himself of his jeans. He scooted until his back was leaning against his headboard.

Keith propped himself on the bed, “Starting now.”

Lance nodded, holding his breath as Keith started rubbing his hands on Lance’s inner thighs. Keith leaned forward, grip tightening, and kissed into Lance’s mouth. They locked lips for a while, while Keith’s hands made their way to rub against the thin cloth covering Lance’s crotch.

“A-h-h,” Lance breathed against Keith’s mouth as Keith began pressing his hand down, rubbing slowly.

Keith bit gently at Lance’s jaw, feeling it clench as he felt Lance up, and began tugging down on the boxers.

Lance assisted by pulling his underwear off and kicking it to the side. He then grabbed Keith close, sucking a hickey on his neck as Keith wrapped his hand around Lance’s dick.

Trying to focus on leaving his mark was difficult for Lance, as Keith was circling his thumb on his tip in between slow, torturous pumps.

As soon as the minimal friction forced Lance to call out in whimper, Keith let go. He pulled back from Lance, whose mouth left his neck with a ‘pop’. He handed Lance a ponytail.

With shaky hands, Lance took it. Keith leaned in and looked down. Gathering up Keith’s hair, Lance groaned, “I’m never gonna be able to put your hair up ever again, you know that? Whenever you hand me a ponytail-bam-immediate boner.”

Once his non-mullet was up, bangs pushed back and out of the way, Keith pressed his lips against Lance’s hastily, muttering, “That’s the plan,” before he went down.

Lance’s hands gathered up the sheets as Keith worked. Lance had gotten his dick sucked before-and this isn’t the first time this particular person had done it either-but Keith had some fucking skill. He knew how to flatten his tongue while licking strips up the length, how to purse his lips on the tip but tuck them over his teeth while going down and-

Okay, listen, a proper blowjob is an art. Sucking dick is always gonna be a somewhat disgusting thing, Lance had a dick of his own and he knew it was gross. If you ever blow someone and they don’t thank you for your work, dump them. Especially if you did a good job.

That being said, Keith deserved a fucking gift basket to show Lance’s appreciation.

Or maybe a cake. With “thanks for sucking my dick” on it.

He thought about where he could go that would do that for him.

Lance snapped out of his thought as Keith went down further, Lance’s cock right in the back of his mouth.

Lance’s hands shot to tangle up in the small hairs at the back of Keith’s neck. Not pushing, or holding, just rubbing small circles and scratching gently.

Although his hands were steady, Lance bit his lip, looked down at Keith and whispered “ _Come on, come on, please,”_

Keith pulled off for a moment, for only a breath and to readjust his grip on Lance’s thighs. Then, obeying Lance’s plead, he went down as far as he could go and started swallowing.

“O-oh god,” Lance cried out, his heels digging into the mattress as he resisted the urge to thrust up into Keith’s mouth.

After a few moments of that, Keith pulled up again, and wiped his mouth. Lance was dripping with precum and having a very hard time catching his breath.

Keith kissed the tip then began working up. He licked up Lance’s stomach, bit softly at his nipples, until he buried himself in Lance’s shoulder.

Lance breathed heavily, “How-how much time?”

“Not enough to start anything else yet,” Keith murmured, leaving kisses in the nook of his neck, “Are you topping this time?”

Lance ran his nails down Keith’s back, “Do you want me to?”

Keith’s hand began trailing down again, “Kinda”

“Keith-” Lance breathed, “If you do that, I’m not gonna last much longer. Go take your pants off and restart the clock. I’ll get the stuff.”

One of the best parts of their relationship was the sexual part. As all horny college aged men would tell you, sex was a great and wonderful bonus. Sometimes it was hard. Sometimes you and your partner didn’t like the same things. That wasn’t the case with Lance and Keith, their kinks and interests matched very well. Sometimes one had trouble doing the deed. Not them, they were both fully functional if you know what I mean. Still, everyone partners now and then have issues and they have to find ways to compromise.

Such as having to set an alarm during sex to go off every 11 minutes because if the two of you remain intimately touching for any more than 12 minutes you will both instantly knock out, one literally dies until the other moves in their own unconscious state and lessens the contact enough so you both can wake up.

You know.

That kinda thing.

Happens all the time.  

Keith stripped himself while Lance went through his drawer, getting his supplies out, such as a condom and lube.

“How do you want it?” Lance asked.

Keith bit his lip and thought for a moment. Then, looking at Lance, he kneeled in the middle of the bed, back straighten as he appeared as if he was displaying himself for Lance. Smirking, Lance knew better.

“Really now?” Lance quipped.

Keith shrugged, “Unless you don’t want to-”

Lance answered the question by finding his position sitting up against his headboard, and beckoned Keith over with his fingers. Keith crawled over, laying his torso against Lance’s, getting as close as possible as he straddled Lance, nipping at his shoulders.

Lance quickly reached over and pressed start on Keith’s watch. Then his hands moved to Keith’s ass.

Keith breathed out once Lance’s thumb pressed against his hole, simply rubbing circles. Still, it was enough stimulation to make him whimper. Especially as his dick was pressed in between their stomach, and a rush of pleasure hit him every time Lance arched his back and shifted. Of which he was doing often.

Sucking and biting another mark into the muscle of Lance’s shoulder, Keith hardly noticed when Lance quickly uncapped the lube with one hand and covered his fingers. Meaning that when Lance’s finger pressed into him, he winced in surprise.

“You okay?” Lance asked, pecking kissing the side of Keith’s head.

Keith nodded, holding Lance’s face as he kissed him fully, “Yes, keep going. It feels so good.”

“Yeah?” Lance murmured in between licks into Keith’s mouth. He pressed his finger inside, pumping it slightly, “How good?”

Keith squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his forehead against Lance’s, “Really good, Lance. God, you feel so good. Can-can you add another?”

“Are you sure, baby?” Lance said between kisses.

“Yeah, yeah.” Keith lifted up his ass, pressing against Lance’s hand, “Yeah.”

Lance complied, slowly inserting another finger to go against his first. The stretch was tight, but the way Keith keened, Lance was sure it was okay to keep going.

He did, he kept going, pumping slowly in and out while kissing Keith until Keith could no longer focusing on working his mouth lest for the moans escaping. Lance added a third finger. He kept going as that until he could feel Keith loosening around his fingers enough that Lance could thrust in and out easily. Of course, in time, Keith grew impatient.

“Come on,” Keith moaned, “I’m ready, Lance, shit, I’m ready.”

Lance nodded, removing his fingers and instead placing his hands on Keith’s hips, guiding him. Keith gripped Lance’s shoulders as he lowered himself down. He pressed down and Lance pressed up, and soon enough, Keith’s grip tightened as his head flew back, groaning loudly.

Running his hands up and down Keith’s hips and thighs, he leaned forward and kissed at Keith’s nipples. His legs were spread far as he did his best to meet Keith’s bounces, which were getting deeper rapidly.

As loud as Lance was usually, the sounds he made now were choked, muted moans, barely audible. His mouth hung open silently as his watched and _felt_ Keith ride his dick, something his boyfriend himself wanted to do. Wanted to fuck himself, wanted him so bad that-

He needed to hear Keith say it for himself, so he dug his nails into Keith’s hips, halting his actions. He took control with a slow thrust. He felt resistance as Keith tried to push himself down, but held tight, which caused more friction.

Keith groaned loudly, “L-lance, I want-I’m-” he looked down, his face flushed, eyelids heavy and mouth wet. As Lance bit at his collarbone, he got the memo.

“Lance,” He sat, gripping the short hairs at the base of Lance’s neck, “Lance, you feel so good. So good. Lance, I want you so bad, I want you-I-I want you harder. Come on.”

Lance started grunting, still holding Keith still as he began to pump a bit more.

Keith whimpered, “Come on, Lance, I need you to fucking-shit-stop playing with me, you know what you are doing. You do me so well. Just-fucking-get on with it!”

As his grip loosens, Lance began to completely pound into Keith, deep and hard. So much so that Keith couldn’t do much besides attempt to meet Lance halfway-causing them to have a sporadic and messy routine.

Until Keith’s watch started beeping.

“Fuck,” Keith murmured. He began to lift off Lance until once again, Lance tightened his grip.

“How close are you?” Lance shouted, continuing to thrust up and down.

“P-pretty-really close-”

Lance didn’t say much after that, and he thrusting up deeper and one hand found it’s way around Keith’s dick, pumping fast.

Keith came with his head thrown back in a silent shout. Lance, watching the display of his boyfriend completely unraveling, came soon after that.

Once they came to their senses, they instantly threw each other away. They separated completely, breathing heavily and staring at the other with heavy-lidded eyes.

As soon as they were sure that they wouldn’t pass out, they snuggled together.

“God, I love you,” Lance murmured against Keith’s mouth on his.

Keith hummed, “I love you too.”

“I’m tired,” Lance announced.

Pressing a solid kiss to his boyfriend’s lips, Keith said, “Let’s put some clothes on and go to sleep.”

Lance nodded, “I asked Hunk to wake us up if we didn’t by our alarm.”

As he got up and put on his underwear and a pair of pajama bottoms he kept in Lance’s drawer, Keith said, “He’s a really good guy.”

“Yeah, I’m forever grateful for the dude,” Lance agreed, wiggling his fingers to beckon Keith back to him.

Keith tossed Lance a set of his own boxers and then made his way to the bed. After Lance clothed himself, he opened his arms to greet Keith. They simply rested for a moment, Lance playing on his phone as Keith ran his fingers up and down Lance's chest. 

"Does this ever frustrate you?" Keith murmured. 

Lance set down his phone and looked down at his boyfriend, "What do you mean?"

"That we have to go through all this extra stuff. We aren't a normal couple, Lance. I have a job where I die for money. You can't touch me for longer than 12 minutes or I die. Does it ever like...do you ever think about leaving me? Finding someone you can be normal with?"

Lance brought his hands to Keith's cheeks, squeezing them, "No. Absolutely not. Keith, I love you and I want to be with you. Who cares if you die a bit more than the average person? That's cool! I think that's pretty dope that my boyfriend has magical voodoo death powers! Sure, it is tough sometimes, but I've accepted it and I've accepted you. I only want you, Keith."

Keith sighed and smiled, "Thanks. I love you too."

Pecking Keith on the forehead, Lance said, "Good, now shut up, and go to sleep, I'm trying to read about Kylie Jenner."

 


	23. grand plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.

Keith’s eyes blinked slowly and drowsily until he could make out the figure in front of him. Lately, he had been taking a longer and longer time to wake up after the procedure. 

The moment his eyes registered vision and his ears processed sound, the person in front of him grabbed his hand and began shaking it maniacally, muttering gratefulness, praises, concerns. In his exhausted state, Keith attempted to break a smile and tell the client not to worry. Luckily, he didn’t have to hold much of a conversation before they were taken away to be briefed of how to avoid the Galra now that they were free. 

Once they left the room, Keith slumped back down on the couch, letting his eyes close again. The room they held the arrangements was a comfortable lounge area. Had a fair share of couches, fun lighting and even a television. They made this area up to help the clients feel more relaxed. Lance had come over to give them advice on how to make the area more cozy at one point. 

“It's going to get increasingly difficult to come back the more debt you get rid of.” Kolivan, the leader of these arrangements, stated as he stood besides a desk, filing the papers and getting rid of the used needles.

Keith nodded, “How many more clients do you have? I’m going back this Saturday, I want to be able to fit as many people in before then.”

Kolivan rubbed his chin, “The Angelo family is willing to pay 500 dollars for two people, McNamara has a family of five but only can pay-”

“I don’t care about the money anymore,” Keith said, “As many people as you can get to come by, then do it.”

“In order to play, you are going to need money-”

“I have enough.”

Kolivan quirked an eyebrow but said, “Very well. Tomorrow at noon, the McNamara family will be coming in.”

“I’ll be here.” 

 

Within the next week, Keith took the debt away from five families. He made more money than he cared to, but he knew that in the end, he’ll need as much as possible. 

He had told Shiro that he was at Lance’s and had told Lance that he would meet him at 4:00pm for pizza and movies. 

He walked into the lobby of Galra at 1:00pm, snuck into the bathroom and took out the piece of paper from his wallet that he’d been holding ever since that first meeting at Marmora. It showed how much Keith had to play at the casino in order to completely win back the McClain Martinez’s debt. He had been making an effort to go once or twice a week but hiding his visits from his friends had been difficult. 

Lately, he was getting close. Depending on how well his games went, he may be able to rid of it all in the next month. The way this worked was that whatever money he made at the casino, he gave back to the casino. That money went towards lessening the debt. At first, this was difficult, no matter what, he was losing money. Now that he had cash from the clients, it was getting easier to play without care. 

Keith handed his fake ID to the security guard, who barely looked over it before letting him into the casino floor. Marmora had crafted him an ID that was flawless, since he was not yet 21. Keith sent the guard a brisk nod before he entered. 

The floor itself was an interior design beauty, the ceiling made out of golden arches with purple accents, chandeliers hung from the ceiling gold and diamond dangling from the lights. The casino itself was illuminated by the violet lighting, giving the feeling of calmness and luxury. Keith wondered if Lance’s mother had a hand in designing it. 

Sometimes Keith would play the table games, if he was in the mood for having actual fun. He liked the competition of it, peeking over his cards with the other cocky players, all thinking they had the best hand. After a few rounds, Keith learned that he was proficient at these games, and made most of his money by this. Perhaps it was natural talent, but Keith decided it was more due the fact that he was a good liar and had no care where the money was going, unlike the other players. 

Today, however, Keith chose to play the slot machines. After the busy week at school and the back-to-back debt cleansing, he was tired and didn’t want to have to use any brainpower.  

For the first hour, he sat in front of several machines, pressing the button over and over until he got a win. He knew how the machines attempted to get him addicted, so every time he ‘almost’ got a win, he stood up and moved to the next one. He kept going as such. The machines were programmed to get you hooked, and gave you many plays where you are so close to winning, you play more to chase that win. Keith knew this and didn’t let it get him. Also, every time he did get a win, he packed up to. The likelihood of him getting another win on that machine was slim.

And, of course, he stayed away from Keno. 

By the time he decided he was done, he’d made about 250 dollars, spent almost triple that. Wasn’t his best, but it was something. He wished that he could simply hand over his money to the casino directly, but they knew to well how to make profit. 

He stuffed his wallet in his back pocket and walked over to the teller machines, where he could either pull out cash of his earning or send it another source. He was about the add the name McClain Martinez as his code when a women with long pink hair waved him over. She was standing at one of the large wheel games. 

Maybe one more for the road. 

He walked over, hands tucked in the pockets of his hoodie. He listened as the woman said, “You seem like a winner. My name’s Ezor, wanna take a spin?”

Keith shrugged, “Sure,”

“May I see your card, please?” She smiled cheerfully.

Keith handed over his ID and his gambling car, which she swiped happily. Once it processed, she gestured the giant lever of the side of the wheel,

“Good luck, Keith McClain Martinez,”

Tucking his cards back in his pocket, Keith pushed the lever forward. 

Keith watched the wheel begin to spin, passing up several different slots from 5,000$ to No Win. As Keith followed the spin, Ezor kept an eye on him. 

The wheel slowed down and Keith averted his eyes, looking to the side. There were two security guards dressed in purple blazers whispering across the room. When Keith looked to them, they looked back. 

Keith tore his eyes away, and focused back up at the wheel. It was slowing down gradually, the tab ticking against the poles until it finally landed. 

Keith’s eyes widened as he froze still. 

“Jackpot,” Ezor grinned, “Congrats,”

“Thanks,” Keith said, a bad taste appearing in his mouth.

The ticket printed out and the game leader took it. She leaned on the counter and whistled, holding up the paper with two fingers, “Look at all those zeroes.”

Keith tried to reach for the ticket, but Ezor snatched it away. She wagged her manicured finger as smirked, “Now what are you gonna do with all this money?”

The security guards began to approached him, both were women, one was leaning over and talking into her mic.

Ezor held out the ticket, “What are you gonna do now, Kogane?”

He ran. 

He looked behind him to see if anyone was following him, but they were standing still, still talking to each other. 

Without him seeing, another guard came out from the side and snatched his arm. Keith kicked and shouted, “Let go of me!”

The guard, a tall woman wearing a mask pressed her hand to his back. Within the moment, his eyes blinked closed, slowly and drowsily, until he could no longer make out the figure in front of him. 

  
  


 

 

_You have been added to the chat: Where's the Beef?_

_Members: Lancey-Lance, Smidge, Hunkers, Shiro, Beef_

_1 Unread Message_

**Lancey-Lance** (5:07pm): Heyyy fam has anyone heard from keith? He said he would was coming over like an hour ago and he hasn’t been responding

**Smidge** (5:10pm) did some loosee thier boyfrieenddd

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:10pm) he’s a slippery guy!

**Smidge** (5:12pm): oh I bet he is ;) ;)

**Hunkers** (5:14pm): I don’t even want to know what you meant for that to mean -_-

**Shiro** (5:14pm): Is he not with u Lance?? He told me he was with u he left around noon

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:15pm): He told me we were meeting at 4! I haven’t heard from him since like 2

**Shiro** (5:15pm): what did he say

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:15pm): At 2:24 he told me “I’ll be there as soon as I’m done helping shiro out with some groceries”

**Shiro** (5:16pm): no we got groceries yesterday

**Smidge** (5:17pm): RIP

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:17pm): I’m calling him

_ CALLING Keithy Baby <3 (5:17pm) _

 

_ CALL ENDED (5:19pm)  _

 

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:19pm): he didn’t answer

**Hunkers** (5:19pm): really??

**Shiro** (5:20pm): let me try

 

_ CALLING Keith (5:20pm) _

 

_ CALL ENDED (5:22pm) _

 

_ CALLING Keith (5:22pm) _

 

_ CALL ENDED (5:22pm) _

 

**Shiro** (5:24pm) I called him twice

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:24pm) Nothing?

**Shiro** (5:25pm): teh 2nd time he hung up on me after two rings 

**Smidge** (5:25pm): Oh hell no, lemme at him >:(

 

_ CALLING gaylord (5:26pm) _

 

_ CALL ENDED (5:26pm) _

**Smidge** (5:26pm): I DIDN’T EVEN GET ONE RING IN BEFORE HE HUNG UP!

**Shiro** (5:27pm): he’s prbbly fine We shouldnt worry

**Hunkers** (5:27pm): i dunno shiro :////

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:28pm) Yeah my man i know you’re trying to back off and do that independent, let keith flee the nest shit but this? Not cool. He’s been acting weird lately too

**Hunkers** (5:29pm): I’m glad i’m not the only one that this that. He’s been Zombie Keith lately 

**Smidge** (5:29pm): I’m hacking his Find my IPhone app

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:31pm): ajksfasknd YOU CAN DO THAT?

**Hunk** (5:31pm) remember that time that you were out partying and got lost and ended up in the middle of nowhere & were too wasted to use your phone?

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:32pm): yeahhhh??? You siad you found me with the power of friendship!

**Shiro** (5:34pm): did you find him, p?  


**Smidge** (5:35pm): gimme a sec 

**Smidge** (5:38pm): okay, i found him but you aren’t going to like it.

**Lancey-Lance** (5:38pm): Where is he?

**Shiro** (5:39pm): where did you find him?

**Hunkers** (5:39pm): please tell me he’s not in vegas or something :O

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:39pm): How would keith even get to vegas in an hour and a half????

**Hunk** (5:40pm): he doesn’t go the speed limit!

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:40pm): ?????? akfjhafk WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING

**Hunkers** (5:40pm): DON’T YELL AT ME :,(

**Smidge** (5:40pm): GUYS CAN WE FOCUS?

**Smidge** (5:41pm): Keith is at Galra Casino

**Smidge** (5:41pm): He’s been there since 1

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:42pm): youre fucking joking

 

_ CALLING Keithy Baby <3 (5:42pm) _

 

_ CALL ENDED (5:42pm) _

 

_ CALLING Keithy Baby <3 (5:42pm) _

 

_ CALL ENDED (5:42pm) _

 

_ CALLING Keithy Baby <3 (5:43pm) _

 

_ CALL ENDED (5:43pm) _

 

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:43pm): shit shit

**Shiro** (5:43pm): pidge can u get any more information?!!

**Smidge** (5:44pm): it looks like he was like in the front side of the casino but he moved like...really fast to the other part and been there since around 3? I think that's the hotel area. After that there's no more activity. He hasn't done anything with his phone besides hang up on us.

**Hunkers** (5:44pm): He’s been there for nearly three hours and we’re sure his phone isn’t dead?

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:44pm): idk i tried to call him a few more times but its goin straight to voicemail

**Shiro** (5:45pm): i’m calling coran and allura, can you all meet at my place within the hour?

_ Lancey-Lance added Allura and Coran to the groupchat _

**Hunkers** (5:45pm): yeah, pidge do you need a ride?

**Smidge** (5:45pm): ye i’ll be at the school 

****Lancey-Lance** ** (5:46pm): see u guys there

_ CALLING mama (5:50pm) _

 

“Hello?”

 

“Mama,”

 

“Lance, are you okay? What’s wrong.”

 

“We need your help again, it’s Keith.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“We think they got him.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy 9th day of halloween, my friends! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, Keith is back being a damsel in distress. Per usual. 
> 
> Also, I'm super excited for this friday! Season four bitches! I'm gonna be binge watching and screaming so check out my tumblr: somethingaboutklance if you want to join me. 
> 
> We only have a few more chapters until the ending, so keep following this fic just a bit longer! Thank you so much for commenting and reading!


	24. first impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It takes just a quick glance, maybe three seconds, for someone to evaluate you when you meet for the first time. In this short time, the other person forms an opinion about you based on your appearance, your body language, your demeanor, your mannerisms, and how you are dressed."  
> -mindtools.com

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for this chapter: graphic violence, a scene involving blood/gore, and mild torture

The more Keith made an obvious struggle, the tighter his bounds became. At least, that’s how it felt. One of guards, Narti, he had learned, had brought out a thin, smooth purple rope and tied it around his wrist, behind his back, and connected to the bedpost. It looked like a jumper cable in texture and size, but every time he attempted to break free, they tightened all the more. As soon as they began cutting into Keith’s skin, he stopped struggling.

The guards kept him on the floor of one of the hotel rooms. He tried to figure out which one. All he had going for him was the wall to wall window that offered a view over the river beside them, and the elegance and largeness of the hotel room. Which meant his was in a luxury suite on the right side.

  
This information wasn’t much help since he didn’t have his phone to tell the others where he was. Since someone else was currently having a blast with it.

  
Ezor, the woman who tricked him into playing the wheel game, was laying on the bed upside down, her head dangling off one side. Often, she would reach over and tease Keith with his phone. Long ago, Ezor had somehow hacked his password, and began going through his privacy. At first, Keith didn’t care. Sure, he had a few nudes and strange memes but he really didn’t have much to hide.

  
Then he started getting phone calls.

  
Ezor taunted him by holding the phone just far enough that Keith could almost grab it, if it wasn’t for the pain that came with moving against his restraints.

 

“Ooh, who’s Lance?” Ezor laughed, waving the phone in Keith’s face as he struggled, “He keeps calling you. Maybe he’s worried. Aw.”

  
Keith growled as Ezor ended the call once more. She laughed, “Oops. Let’s go see if we can find out who Lance is. I bet he’s cute, huh?”

  
Leaning his head back, grunting with the pain of the ever-tightening cords around his wrists, Keith groaned, “Can you fucking loosen these restraints before my hands fall off?”

  
Zethrid, the tallest, and most bloodthirsty bodyguard, laughed, “No! That’s what I came here to see!”

  
“Quiet down.” Acxa instructed. She stood calmly, leaning on the wall with her arms crossed. She stared at the door, waiting for someone to open it.

  
Within a moment, someone did come through. Once a man walked into the room, all the woman stood respectfully, as if a member of royalty had entered. Maybe one had.

  
“Ah, you got him. About time,” said the man.

  
As he crouched down in front of him, Keith examined him up and down. Expensive navy blue suit and purple tie contradicted his long white hair and crooked smirk.

 

Keith glared, “Who the hell are you?”

  
“Lotor, heir to Galra. What is your name?”

  
“You don’t know who I am? Is this was you do? Go around and kidnap random people? Is this a kink thing?” Keith mocked.

  
Lotor’s smirk turned malicious, “I supposed you have a point.” Lotor stood up and rolled his shoulders. He said, “I am not here to hurt you Not too much, that is. In fact, I’ve heard that you can help me.”

  
“With what?” Keith glared.

  
“I wish to rebel against my father and his...empire. His control over this city is stronger that you think it is. We can work together to stop it.”

  
“Why should I believe you?” Keith pulled away from the bedpost and grunted when his bonds pressed further into his skin.

“They are programmed to tighten when you struggle. If you weren’t so high-strung, perhaps you could even escape them.” Lotor smiled wickedly, “Now let’s talk a deal.”

  
“Let me go, then we can talk.” Keith said through gritted teeth.

  
“That will not do.” Lotor crossed his arms. “Tell me, can you or can you not erase debt?”

  
Keith didn’t speak.

  
“You are making this unnecessarily difficult. We both want the same thing. You have no idea how strong my father’s control over this city it. Do you really think it ends at the doors of this casino? My father owns schools, police stations, neighborhoods of people who are indebted to him. He controls half of this city with an iron fist. No one here has a choice. If he says jump, then they will jump. Whether or not they know who told them to. And if they don’t, well..you have been hidden, I’m not sure how you managed this, but they know you know. They are coming for you and whoever you have saved. Everyone you know will be punished for assisting you. Unless, of course, we can make a deal.”

  
Keith cursed. Of course it’s bigger than what he thought. None of them knew what they were going up against. What started as an attempt to save a few people, including his boyfriend, became...whatever this heroic, call to duty was. He looked directly at Lotor.

  
“What kind of deal?”

  
“You’re invisible to Galra. Nearly impossible to track, you confuse the system, the druids cannot pinpoint you.”

  
“Druids?”

  
“Yes. My mother, that witch, it’s her army of debt holders. They know everyone in this town. They have this...power that not even I know of. If they can find you, they have a connection to your soul. They can end your life at any time. They more souls they gather, the more powerful they are. They are loyal to my father. They can’t find you, but they know you. They are aware of what you can do. And since you’ve been waltzing around in their territory, they know you are aware. If anything, we saved you. Now you know what they know. Knowledge is power.”

  
“You still haven’t told me what you want.” Keith stated.

  
Lotor nodded, and began reaching into his back pocket. “I want to see this for myself. Show me that you can really do what is rumored, and I will help you erase the debt of whoever it is that you so badly wish to. So badly that you’ll walk straight into the shark’s jaws. Then, once we’re even, we can work together. As a team.”

  
“I already have a team.”

  
“And they are in danger. In order to protect them, you need my help.” Lotor humbly noted.

  
Keith chewed on his cheek, then glared up at Lotor, “If I do this, will you erase their debt? And we will work as equals?”

  
“You have my word.”

  
“Fine. What do you want me to do?”

  
Lotor grinned, and took a pistol out from his back pocket. One of the woman, Axca, walked over with a folder and pen. Then the pink-haired woman came over and release Keith of his bonds. She helped him stand up and had him sit on the bed.

  
Keith rubbed his wrists, attempting to heal the indents from the rope as Lotor spoke, “Poor Narti here has over a hundred years worth of debt. We hope you could help our friend, cleanse the debt that burdens her. Can you?”

  
“Yeah,” Keith sighed, “Do you have the contract?”

  
Axca pulled out the paper and handed Keith the pen, “Here. We obtained a copy from Blade of Marmora.”

  
Keith paused, “Did they give it to you?"

  
Ezor smiled, “We may have hacked into their system and stolen it.”

  
“I assure you,” Lotor said, “It was vital and the Blade is not one to associate with others.”

  
Zethrid, who was loading her own pistol, grunted, “Yeah, I wanted to punch some heads in to get it, but everyone always wants to go the boring way.”

  
Keith looked over the contract. It seemed identical to the one at Marmora. He read it a few extra times, looking for loopholes. He wished Pidge was here, she could have found any faults.

  
He signed it and handed it to Axca, who put it back in her folder.

  
Narti sat on the bed on the other side of Keith. They’re backs were turned to each other, so Keith couldn’t see her.

  
“I call the kid!” Zethrid hollered.

Lotor agreed, “Very well. Is there anything we should know about this process? We only want the two of you to come back as safely as possible.”

  
Keith looked up at the pistol being waved in front of him, “Try to hit the same spot, it’ll pass quicker. She doesn’t have to die, but if she doesn’t, she will have to heal naturally. She will be left with whatever injury she has. If she dies as I do, we will both be healed instantly. So, try to kill her. As long as I die, it will be gone. And once we both get injured, I have to die. No matter what, make sure I die quickly.”

  
“And if you don’t die quickly?”

  
Keith turned and looked at Lotor, “Make sure I die quickly.”

  
Lotor nodded, “Let’s make this quick, Zethrid.”

  
Zethrid pressed the pistol against his head.

  
“On the count of three” Lotor commanded.

  
Zethrid turned off her safety.

  
“One,”

  
Keith closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

  
“Two,”

  
Axca, from somewhere on the side, shouted, “Wait, stop!”

  
“Three,”

Three things happened within the second:

  
Zethrid and Ezor called out in pain and everyone besides Keith pressed a hand to their ear, the lights shut off suddenly, and two gunshots were heard.

  
Keith found himself laying down on the bed. He blinked once, and then refocused to the scene.

  
The lights were flickering back on around him. At first, he couldn’t register how much time had passed. Then he saw the figure in his line of sight. Narti laid on the bed, her head besides Keith’s, her head bleeding profusely. Somehow, she was still alive, breathing however slow. Lotor seemed to have missed, and not hit her straight as meant to be.

She was still alive.

  
Did that mean?

  
Zethrid missed too.

  
Keith moved his head and realized the gaping wound on his upper right shoulder, bullet lodged in his trapezius , his collar bone shattered from the wayward bullet.

  
He wanted to vomit.

  
“Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!” Ezor screamed from somewhere around them, “Narti! Is she alive?”

  
“Lotor! I apologize, I can finish the job with the kid! I’ll just-”

  
Suddenly, Lotor was kneeled on the bed, wild eyed and glowering, “Is she still alive?”

  
Keith, choking on his spit, nodded.

  
“What do we do?” Lotor asked, then again, more aggressive, “WHAT DO WE DO?”

  
“T-take,” Keith coughed, “Take her to a hospital. Don’t let her die before I do. If I die first, she’ll be fine.”

  
Cold metal was pressed to his forehead, “Why I don’t just kill you now?”

  
“Because,” Keith gargled, and said, “Because then it would count as a different death. I have to die from this wound.”

  
“I can help that,” Zethrid said, “I can make you bleed out a lot faster.”

  
“No,” Lotor cut her off, “You, Ezor, and Axca will take her to the med bay. Be sure she survives. Keep updated. I’ll let you know when he dies.”

  
“But the cameras-” Zethrid protested.

  
“Go now! I have a feeling they aren’t up to speed as they should be.”

  
They obeyed, carefully carried their friend out of the room.

  
Once they left and the chaos died down, it was quiet. Keith’s breathing became more rigid by each inhale. Lotor placed himself in the sofa chair across the room, and had poured himself a glass of champagne from the mini fridge.

  
“What’s it like?” Lotor asked, watching Keith shudder, “Dying. Isn’t that what everyone is afraid of? Of a horrible death, of the pain. Everyone wants to know how they are going to die.”

  
Keith wished he would shut up. He wished he could get up and punch the guy, if only one of his shoulders hadn’t been blown apart.

  
“But you, you’ve died in many ways. You’ve faced death and you come back. And from that, you would think you aren’t scared to die. After all, you’ve nearly died enough times to be over it, correct?”

  
Lotor took a sip of his champagne, and strutted back to Keith. He said, “I don’t think that’s true. I think dying is your greatest fear. You’re terrified of it. You’ve came back over and over and every time you fear that this time, it’s over for you. You know it will come, that one day will be the day that it’s all over. That your one good tribute will fail you. And with that, you will fail everyone else. That’s all you are to them, the boy who can come back from the dead. And one day, that title won’t be yours anymore.”

  
With a swift motion, Lotor jammed his thumb into Keith’s wound. Keith arched his back and screamed.

  
“If this doesn’t work, I swear on my own life, that I will take you apart. I will kill you and bring you back, over and over. You will die in every way there is. And once we take over my father’s reign and I control Galra, I will see to it that all of your friends get the same treatment. I’ll edge them so close to death only to bring them back. You all will have a collection of near death experiences enough for several lifetimes.”

  
Keith resumed screaming as Lotor twisted his hand, pressing deeper, “Do you understand?” Lotor asked.

  
Lotor pulled his hand away and walked back to his chair.

  
Silent tears streamed down Keith’s cheek as Lotor made himself comfortable and said, “Die a bit quicker, would you?”

  
After a few moments, Keith passed out.

 

 

 

When he woke, it was followed by a loud noise, a groan, and a thud.

  
He hadn’t died yet, he knew by the pulsing pain still surging through his body, so he questioned how long he’d been out.

  
Letting his head fall to the side, he squinted in order to find Lotor. However, he wasn’t in his previous place on the chair.

  
“Keith!” A woman’s voice hollered, definitely not Lotor, “Oh, you poor thing! Keith, can you hear me?”

  
Delirious with pain, it took moment to register the figure know hovering above him. He could feel the weight of the dip in the bed, and that there was the person staring at his face, but putting names to whoever it was became difficult.

  
“Mhm, uh,” Was all Keith could manage.

  
“Okay, honey, stay with me. He’s still awake, he has these, oh, this awful wound on his shoulder. It’s huge, oh, how do I help him?”

  
Who was she talking to? She paused for a moment before she kept talking.

  
“How long will that take? How much time do we have?” She asked.

  
“I dunno,” Keith mumbled. Keith was squinted and pinching his eyes closed and open, trying to fix his vision.

  
The woman put a hand in Keith’s hand as she spoke, “He’s lost a lot of blood. I think he’s a bit out of it. He’s going back and forth...okay, yes, I’ll wait. Who’s coming up? No, no, Lance, you can’t come. Stop whining, you know why...yes, Shiro, that would be helpful.”

  
Lance?

  
Hey, he knew Lance.

  
Lance.

  
“Yes, Keith, Lance. He’ll see you soon, okay? Your uncle is coming to get you. It’ll be okay.”

  
Keith looked up. Oh, he knew her too.

  
Licking his dry lips, Keith muttered, “Elisa?”

  
Her hands threaded through Keith’s hair, a soft sensation opposed to the cold, thudding pain.

  
Why was it cold?

  
O-oh, ha, he was in shock.

  
“S-soon.” Keith reminded himself, and Elisa, “Hmmm,”

  
“Does it hurt? Is there anything I can do?” Elisa asked.

  
Keith attempted to shake his head, but failed as once his head fell to one side, it stayed there.

  
“I’m tired,” Keith mumbled.

  
Elisa hummed, “Go to sleep, dear. It’ll be over soon.”

  
Keith’s eyes fluttered close. Elisa began singing a song underneath her voice.

  
Before his heart stopped, he thought that this was his loveliest death so far. The pain was unbearable, but somehow, it was peaceful. Just like falling asleep in the arms of a mother, humming a lullaby.

  
When he woke up, he was met by Elisa’s look of complete shock.

  
“Your wound, it-it just closed up! Within seconds!” She gasped.

  
Keith nodded, and took a deep breath, “Yeah, yeah, it heard it looks weird.”

 

Slowly, he sat up, rather tired from the energy drained of him. Still, whether or not he just died, he had work to do.

  
“Wait, where is-” Keith looked around the room until he found Lotor, lying unconscious on the floor. He looked at Elisa with a glint in his eyes, “Did you do that?”

  
Elisa smirked, “I have many children. I learned to defend them and myself.”

  
Keith grinned, “Bitchin’.”

  
“What are we going to do with him? Who is he?” Elisa asked.

  
Keith stood and rolled his shoulder. He winced as he felt a small, tingling sensation. He reached to itch his back, but couldn’t reach.

  
Elisa stood up as well. Keith saw her reach up and felt a tug on the skin of his shoulder blade. Then, the tingling sensation again, but only for a moment. Keith turned to Elisa as she held a small, bloody bullet in her hand.

  
“This-uh-came out of your back,” Elisa set it down on the bed, “Oh, the poor workers down in laundry. They are going to have such a hard time getting this stain out. Sometimes Raquel just throws out the stained blankets but our manager got upset because we were running out of full bed sets.”

  
“So they won’t be phased by this?” Keith asked.

  
Elisa chuckled, “Not in the slightest.” She looked down to the tall man face down on the floor, “That, although, might not be in the range of normal.”

  
Keith nodded, “He’s the son of the guy who runs this casino. If he can give us answers, I want them. Do you think you can help me tie him up?”

  
“Well, I knocked him down, so I can get him up. What are we going to tie him up with?”

  
Keith smirked as he picked up the elastic rope that had previously bounded him, "I'm sure we can figure these out. Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this story, Lotor cares about his friends. Sorry for the wait, but as always, thanks for sticking around! Just a little bit left until the end! Thank you for commenting and reading! Happy November!


	25. the miscreant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season Three, Episode One of Voltron:  
> "We have to stop him." Shiro (clone boy) says, gesturing to Lotor.  
> "Let's kill him!" Keith offers.  
> "We can't do that." Shiro says.  
> "He's family then!" Lance calls.  
> -based of a vine from Matt Post and totally how it's gonna go down I swear.

“Okay, I’m going in,” Lance declared, puffing his chest.

Allura rolled her eyes, “No, you’re not. Look who is on duty.”

The two stood against a hallway wall, trying to act casual. They were at the security unit of Galra Casino, posing a wholesome employees. Allura had dressed in her best outfit, fake badge and all. Her white hair was tied up, pink blouse and black pencil skirt showing professionalism and beauty. In this case, that was the exactly look they were hoping for.

In the small room sat an skinny white man, staring at the surveillance screens that aligned the walls. He looked downright bored, leaning on his hand as if he was about to fall asleep.

Lance groaned, “Hey, you never know, he could be gay.”

“The likelihood that he is interested in women is stronger than that he is into men. I’m going.” Allura lifted her chin and stated.

“You just want to win, don’t you?” Lance squinted.

Allura smiled smugly, “I don’t _want_ to win, Lance. I am _going_ to win.”

In their ears, static fizzled and Pidge was heard grumbling, “Listen, we get it, you are both pretty. Which, by the way, is why we chose the two of you for this mission. Do you really have to have a catfight in the middle of it?”

On Shiro’s line, they hear a noisy background, “So Allura is going?”

Lance glared, “I _guess._ ”

“Be careful,” Shiro stated, “Wait for Pidge’s go, then engage. We don’t know how long you’ll have to watch the screens, so pay attention.”

“Got it.” Allura said.

“Over and out, Black.” Lance grinned.

“Black?” Allura raised an eyebrow.

“Come on, it’s a code name! Shiro is Black, I’m Blue, you’re Pink, Pidge is Green, Hunk is Yellow, and Coran is Orange! Oh and when Keith gets here, he’ll be Red.”

Hunk’s voice was heard in their ears, “My favorite color is blue, why do you get to be blue?”

“Because you are sunshine-y, Hunk! All warm and bright!”

A moment’s pause until Hunk replied, “I’ll take it.”

“Alright, Allura, go ahead.” Pidge said.

Allura preened herself once more and winked at Lance, walking towards the surveillance room. Lance huffed, he knew she was only doing this to get under his skin, and to lighten the mood for everyone else.

However once Lance was alone, he took a deep breath. Although he appeared easy-going, he was terrified. He’s been to this casino more times than he can count, but now, everyone he cared about was in the vicinity, and they were all in danger.

Pidge and Coran were sitting in the van across the street of the casino. They were sapping the local coffee shop’s wifi in order to use their tech genius to hack into Galra’s system. Apparently, Pidge had been working on getting into the system since before Keith was taken. She explained that Galra had one of the most secure fire networks that she’s encountered. Of course, she still got into it. With Coran’s help, they were able to get communication devices for the whole team within the last few hours.

Hunk and Shiro were acting as guests. Currently, they had taken seats at one of the restaurants.

Lance’s mother was on the team too (although he may have forgotten to give her a team name). She was on shift however, and their way into any of the hotel rooms.

Then Keith, who was in the large building, but they just didn’t know where. Lance would find him and get him out of this mess.

This mess that he felt like he brought Keith into in the first place.

“Alright Allura, keep working your magic.” Pidge commented, reminding Lance of what they were doing, “The cameras are going to change in three...two...look now!”

Lance looked over the corner and watched as Allura expertly held the guard’s attention with her flirtations while rapidly looking from screen to screen. Lance squinted his eyes try and catch some of the video as well.

Somehow, Pidge had figured out how to control the security cameras. She could shut them off, turn them on, rewind them, or pause them. What she couldn’t do, however, is view them.

So while Allura distracted the man in the room, Pidge quickly rewinded the camera’s to the hour that Keith went missing. Allura and Lance’s goal was to catch and if they could find which room, or at least which floor, Keith was taken to. Since they know it was somewhere in the hotel section, they focused on that area.

They scanned the screens until they slowed, and switched back to the regular screens. Allura cut off the conversation with the ever-growing hopeful employee and came back to Lance.

“So?” Pidge asked, “Did you see him?”

Allura bit her lip, “No, I must’ve have missed it. I’m sorry.”

“Uh, well, let me see if I can-”

Lance cut her off, “Don’t worry about it, I saw him.”

“How?” Allura asked, “You can only see half of the screens from here.”

Lance smirked, remembering the split second that he saw a person being carried up by three women. Of the person, all he could see what the back of his head, “I’d recognize that mullet anywhere.”

“Gay,” Pidge gagged.

Lance spoke more direct, “Mama? I know you probably can’t answer, but he’s on the 17th floor, I’m not sure which room, but he’s overlooking the river. So right side. There are three people with him.”

Shiro spoke up, “Be careful, Elisa, if you see anything suspicious, don’t go inside. Wait for someone to come help you.”

They all heard Elisa scoff over the mic, “I am a strong woman, Shirogane.”

“My bad,” Shiro took back.

“Hey, guys, hold a second.” Pidge said, then typing was heard over the line.

Shiro asked, “What is it?”

Lance and Allura looked to each over as Pidge explained, “I think...well, I’m pretty positive that they figured out how deep I am in their system.”

“Pidge, get out of there. Don’t let them track you.” Shiro warned.

Coran spoke up, “It’s a bit more complicated than that. Pidge is so far gone in the Galra’s tech that she basically is a PART of their system! If they forcibly remove her, things will all shut down. It will be as if it’s restarting.”

“Wait, what does that mean?” Lance asked.

“Oh, shit,” Pidge said.

Coran began yelling, “It means that everyone needs to take their mics out right now, all technology in this vicinity is about to go haywire!”

Hunk said, “Wait, what?”

In an instant, a loud, screeching sound of static burst in all of their ears. The lights flashed off, and shouts of surprise were heard all over the area.

“Agh!” Lance grunted in pain before ripping the mic out of his ear.

The lights didn’t stay off for long, flickering back on after a few minutes. As soon as the lights came back, Allura attempted to contact their group.

“Hello? Pidge? Hunk? Elisa? Can anyone hear me?” Allura said.

“I didn’t even hear that,” Lance mumbled, tapping his mic in an attempt to produce any sound from it. He spoke into it, hoping that his voice would go through Allura’s. Unfortunately, she shook her head no.

Lance then sent out a group text:

 **Lance** (8:08pm): hey hey hey allura and i can’t connect!! our mics are totally shot

Soon, there was a response from Pidge:

 **Pidge** (8:10pm): we are trying to figure it out now. I’m gonna have to restart everything. Keep them in your ears so you’ll hear us when we get back online.

 **Shiro** (8:11pm): until then we need 2 keep working. Lance tell ur mom to start checking rooms. I will be up there in a little bit to help.

 **Lance** (8:11pm): what are the rest of us supposed to do? Stand around and do nothing?

 **Shiro** (8:12pm): play it cool

Lance sighed and quickly texted his mother Shiro’s plan.

“Hunk says that he’s going to join us while Shiro is with Elisa. We are going to meet him near the restaurant he’s at.” Allura updated Lance.

“I don’t see why Shiro is the only one going. I get that he’s Keith’s uncle, and that he’s stronger, and older, and more capable...but I wanna go to!” Lance complained.

Allura rolled her eyes and waved Lance to follow her, “Let’s just go find Hunk.”

Hunk was easy to spot, the big guy standing outside of the shop with his hands in his pockets. His expression was his famous ‘I’m trying not to act scared but I’m really terrified’ look. He began smiling once his friends came near him.

“Oh thank goodness you guys are here. This place gives me the creeps. But, the food is really good.” Hunk commented.

Lance chuckled, “At least there is something good about this place. Did Shiro already go upstairs?”

“Yeah, he just-”

Static sparked in their ears until a voice made it’s way through, “Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

It was Pidge in their ears, Lance replied, “Hey, genius! You got it working again!”

“Obviously.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Elisa spoke for the first time, “I found Keith.”

“You found him?” Lance immediately jumped on the line, “How is he?”

“He’s still awake, he has these, oh, this awful wound on his shoulder. It’s huge, oh, how do I help him?”

Allura’s knowledge from her experimentation started talking, “As much as it pains you, you have to let him bleed out. You need to be careful as well, keep yourself safe, I’m not sure of how collecting will work now that we are inside of the casino. So stay with him and wait for him to pass, he will heal himself once he does.”

“How long will that take? How much time do we have?” Elisa asked. From the other side of the line something like an ‘I dunno’ was mumbled out.

“Depending on how much he’s already bled out and if he’s in shock yet should determine how long it’ll take.”

“He’s lost a lot of blood. I think he’s a bit out of it. He’s going back and forth…”

“Then it should be too much longer. Stay with him and someone will be with you shortly,” Allura concluded.

“Okay, yes, I’ll wait. Who’s coming up?”

“I will!” Lance said, tired of listening to his boyfriend in pain and not being able to do anything about it.

“No, no, Lance, you can’t come. Send someone the Galra doesn’t know.”

“I’ll be there in just a moment, I’m already on my way up.” Shiro spoke.

“Yes, Shiro, that would be helpful.” Elisa said.

Shiro and Elisa exchanged a few more words before the line went quiet. On the other end, Hunk and Allura were trying to get Lance to stop pacing.

“I’m sure they’ll let you up there once he collects,” Hunk reassured.

“You know you can’t be next to him right now anyway,” Allura reminded, “It’s best that you stay away.”

Lance groaned. He ran his hand through his hair and turned away from his friends. He knew that they were right, but that’s not what he wanted to hear.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After he was rightly calmed down, he opened his eyes again.

Then he started to freak out once more.

Standing tall and whispering back and forth to one another stood a small group of security guards, four of them to be exact. They spoke quietly, arms crossed, and looked directly at Lance.

Slowly, he turned to his friends, and muttered, “We need to get out of here.”

“Why?” Allura asked before following Lance’s head gesture, and then said, “Oh.”

“Where do we go? W-we can’t leave yet, and there are employees everywhere! They’ll turn us in!” Hunk worried.

Lance thought, “Not everyone, follow me, I know where to go.”

 

 

 

Plaxum sat in the closet of the pool area. The one place where no one could find her, where no cameras followed her every move.

It had been a slow night, so once night fell and it got dark and colder, there wasn’t much for her to do. The pool was clean, the towels were stocked, and the population of the pool was little to none.

So she took the time to destress, she ate the snacks she brought with her and did some homework. Plaxum waited until the clock told her she could go home.

It was a slow night, so she was terrified when someone knocked on the door to the janitor’s closet.

She didn’t answer at first, scared of who it may be. Plaxum was the only one working tonight so it was either a manager, a guest, or, god forbid, the actual janitor.

The person knocked again and whispered, “Plax? Hey, it’s Lance. Open up.”

The door swung open unafraid, Plaxum saw her coworker standing with two other people. She asked, “Why are you here?”

Lance grinned sheepishly, “We need your help.”

Plaxum let them into the closet and locked the door.

 

 

 

Lotor had his hands bound behind his back while sat in the chair once Shiro walked into the room.

Shiro knocked and Elisa let him in. Keith couldn’t because he was too busy pouring water on the unconscious man in the chair.

After a moment, Lotor sputtered awake while coughing. He quickly learned of his bonds as he struggled to get free.

Once the rope tightened enough to cause him pain, he grunted and looked up at Keith, “Oh look, you’re still alive.”

“I am,” Keith agreed, “Now tell me what your plan is to take down your father.”

Lotor straightened his back, and squinted, “And why would I do that? After all, I have a feeling that you no longer want to work on my side.”

“You’re right,” Keith replied, “We want nothing to do with you or whatever daddy issue driven scheme you have going on. Because we want to take down Galra-for good. If that means taking you down too, then that’s what we are going to do.”

Lotor rolled his eyes, “Nice monologue.”

“Well I had to meet you in dramatic ridiculousness, didn’t I?” Keith smirked.

If Lotor was any younger, he would have stuck out his tongue.

Shiro walked into the room and embraced his nephew before looking to Lotor. He asked, “Who is this?”

“His name is Lotor, his dad owns the casino and his mother apparently does all the magic.” Keith explained.

“Son of a witch,” Elisa mumbled with a small smile on her lips.

Keith smiled and shook his head. She was definitely Lance’s mother.

Shiro approached the man bound in the chair. He crossed his arms, gathered up all the power he had and put it into his posture. Shiro said, “I heard that you killed my nephew.”

It became a competition of who could show the most control over the situation as Lotor puffed up his chest and lifted his chin, “Technically it wasn’t me. And after all, he signed the contract.”

Shiro side-eyed Keith for a moment before redirecting his attention back to Lotor, “I’m sure that he made a deal for something in return for his help?”

Lotor pursed his lips, “Ah, yes. He wanted me to clear the debt of someone with the last name McClain Martinez, since that obviously is not his own, and, oh look.” Lotor shifted his body so he could look fully at Elisa, eyeing her name tag, “Is that you?”

Elisa eyes widened as she looked over at Keith, who was standing quietly against the wall.

“Hmm, no.” Lotor grinned, “Not you, your debt is cleared, isn’t it? So it must be a family member. Must be a romantic interest as well, it always is. Are you in love with her daughter, dear Keith? Her niece? A cousin?”

Keith didn’t respond, and crossed his arms and looked to the floor.

“Oh, who am I kidding? It’s her _son,_ isn’t it?”

Shiro whipped around and commanded Keith and Elisa out of the room. They left followed by Lotor howling and laughing, “Oh! I was right, wasn’t I?”

They gathered in the hallway. Elisa the third wheel in the argument that Keith and Shiro were participating in.

“What were you thinking?” Shiro asked.

Keith bit the inside of his cheek, “I wanted to save Lance.”

“You know what will happen if his debt is erased, don’t you? If he doesn’t have debt, he can’t be your anchor anymore. Not only will you not be able to help anyone else, you’ll _die, Keith._ ”

“I know,” Keith said through gritted teeth.

“You know.” Shiro repeated, “So that’s it? You’ll save Lance and you’ll be dead. For good. Do you have any idea how that will affect the rest of us? Lance, especially. He’ll never be able to get over it. You weren’t thinking about that, you never do. We are here for you, Keith, we want you here and we want to help you. We’ve talked about this over and over again. Still, every time you have a chance to self-sacrifice yourself, you take it.”

Keith spread his arms, “Yeah, I do, okay! There is only so much I can do to help people! You would do that same!”

“No, Keith, I wouldn’t! We are going to suffer all our lives, something is always going to come up! The best thing we can do for each other is _be there_ when bad times come up. That’s the problem with you, Keith. You always want to run away, go on your own, fix it by yourself when things happen. You need to learn to rely on people, it’s okay to ask for help. We want to be with you. We have to stand together. That’s the only way we are going to fix this.”

“I don’t want people to get hurt for me.”

“We don’t want to see you die for us.”

There was quiet as their words sunk in.

Followed by a loud noise from the room.

The three of them rushed by in, only to see an empty chair and an open window. Keith ran to the window, but there was no one in sight. They were so high up, Keith couldn’t imagine any way of escape. Only a long fall down.

“How’d he get out?” Elisa asked.

Keith, Shiro, and Elisa were standing shocked in the hotel room when the announcement came on.

Lance attempted to explain the situation to Plaxum while they, Hunk and Allura hid in the closet by the pool.

Hearing through their mics, Pidge and Coran cursed when they heard it.

It was a loud, booming voice that came from every speaker, cutting off music in replace of a warning:

“Galra Casino, Resort, and Spa is currently on lock down. We have a threat in the area. If you have a hotel room, please make your way to it. If you are a guest, please head to the casino floor, whether you are a minor or not, you will be allowed in to seek shelter. Do not worry, you will be safe here as our security will be around the area. Our employees will gather in their previously stated meeting locations for accountability until the threat has been diminished. All doors leading out of the building will be locked. No one may leave or come in. Stay calm. Thank you for your patience.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And get ready for the end, my friends. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and keep the look out this week for the next one. Thanks for reading!
> 
> We have art! Check out this amazing art that catnippackets drew! [Look at it! I'm cryin](https://somethingaboutklance.tumblr.com/post/167329190587/the-wonderful-catnippackets-drew-this-beautiful)
> 
> (also that's a link to my blog ;) )


	26. i have no fear of death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I have no fear of death, my only fear is coming back reincarnated." -Tupac Shankur
> 
>  
> 
> Warnings: scenes of violence and gore. Things get spooky in ths chapter too

Once the announcement stopped, they all paused and looked up to the high ceiling of the hotel room. Shiro turned to Keith, “Do you think it’s you?”

Keith shook his head, “I think...I think they are after Lotor. He told me he was rebelling against his dad.”

“So we’ll blend in.” Shiro decided. 

Elisa pulled out her mic from her ear, she handed the device to Keith, “I have to go get accounted for. I’ve done all I can do. Take this, you’ll need it more than me.”

Keith took it as a sign of trust.

Especially when she said, “Take care of Lance for me. Get him home safe.”

Shiro spoke into the microphone, “Everyone hear that?”

A panicky Hunk came on the line, “What are we supposed to do? Hand ourselves in? I’m not ready to get my soul taken!”

“Calm down, Hunk,” Shiro commanded, “Everything will be fine. Elisa will go back to her section, like nothing happened. The rest of us will go to the casino floor. Allura, take off that fake badge, all of us are simply guests. No reason to-”

Lance overpowered Shiro, “That’s not going to work.”

“Why not?”

“They know Keith and I too well. We will never pass for guests, especially if we are standing together. And I can’t go to the section. They know I’m not on duty.”

Elisa nodded, leaning in to hear Keith’s mic, which he held out for the both of them. “Lance is right, the two of you will have to hide.”

“Where?” Keith asked.

“Excellent question, my sweet turtle dove,” Lance spoke, causing everyone to roll their eyes, “Welcome back by the way, I missed you very much. Anyway, my dear coworker Plaxum is heading down to the offices as we speak, but she left me her keys. Remember Christmas, Keithy?”

“The janitor's closet?”

“You got it. We can hide in there until this all blows over.” Lance said, “No cameras, and we have the only key.”

“Good plan, Lance.” Shiro praised, “Now we just have to get him there without getting caught.”

Elisa said, “If you go down these elevators, they will catch you. But, if you run all the way down the stairs to the lobby, Lance can meet you and use his badge to take you through the employee’s hallway. It’s a back hallway that no one ever goes into, and it can lead directly to the pool. Do you know where that is, Lance?”

“You mean the hallway where all the stoners go to smoke? Yeah, I know about it.”

Elisa paused, “Excuse me?”

“I-I mean I know about it because I go down it a lot! Not that I-! I don’t smoke Mom, I swear!”

Elisa huffed, “We will talk later. Let’s get a move on, already. We don’t have all night. Come on, boys!”

Shiro and Keith turned to each other. Shiro said, “Be careful out there.”

“You too,” Keith nodded.

They hugged before they split off, all three of them headed in different directions.

Keith took off to the staircase, and swore that once this was all over, he would give himself a break from cardio during his next work out. After running down 17 flights of stairs, he deserved a day off.

Luckily, he didn’t pass anyone and made it to the doors leading to the lobby after several minutes of running while his friends spoke in his ears.

So far, Hunk, Allura, and Shiro had met up and were together headed towards the casino floor. They weren’t completely safe, but Keith knew that the three of them could hold their own, especially since they were together.

Keith opened the cement door with the word ‘lobby’ printed on it. He crossed the threshold out of the bare, dusty staircase to the polished, luxurious main hall of the hotel.

The moment he stepped on the dark violet carpet, he knew that he was in trouble.

The lobby had been cleared of any guests, all the front desk clerks were nowhere to be seen, and the valet were gone.

Still, the room wasn’t empty.

A well-dressed man stood with his arms crossed over his chest. One of his eyes were gone, covered by a patch. He leaned against the walls and stood almost as tall as them.

Although he was the only one left in the room, Keith couldn’t simply find a way around him. Keith looked around to see the hallway that Lance said he would meet him at.

Soon, Lance came from a small door in a far corner. Keith wanted to scream for him to stop as the door closed loudly behind him.

Lance was still hidden, but the man jumped up when he heard the noise, and began searching where it came from.

“Stay hidden, Lance,” Keith whispered into the mic, “There’s a guy here, he heard you. I don’t think he can see you.”

“I might not be able to see him,” Growled a low voice, “But I can hear you.”

Keith muted himself, and snuck closer against the wall. He held his breath and closed his eyes, willing the man to go away.

Against Keith’s wishes, he didn’t. Instead, he grew closer and whipped his hand out. In a moment’s notice, he was by Keith’s side and yanking him from his shirt.

The man dragged Keith into the open, throwing him down on the floor. Keith tumbled, but quickly righted himself as the man laughed.

“Keith Kogane, I am glad to see you.”

“Who the hell are you?” Keith spit out.

“Sendak,” He said simply with a twisted grin, “I knew your mother. We were good... friends.”

“Really?” Keith said sarcastically, his hands curling into fists, “Never heard of you.”

“I’d think so. Your mother wasn’t too keen on sharing her work. Was ashamed of it. But you aren’t, are you? She wanted to save you from all this and you just threw yourself back into it. She’d be ashamed of you too.”

Keith got to his feet and stood his ground, posing with his feet shoulder length apart, fists clenched at his side. 

“Don’t talk about my family.” Keith spit.

Sendak’s grin only grew wider, “No worries. Soon, you’ll join your family in death. And no one will remember any of you. Except for us, you’ll be known as a bump in Galra’s rise to rule. A small, insignificant detail. The Koganes will be no more. Finally.”

“Not if I get rid of all of you first,”

“Unlikely,” Sendak glared then threw the first punch.

It didn’t land, however. In the middle of his charge, Sendak was halted and distracted by the shoe that hit him in the head.

The black converse toppled to the ground. Both Sendak and Keith looked to the direction that the shoe came from.

Lance crouched on the side of the hotel lobby, hiding behind one of the couches. He held his other shoe high in the air. When he noticed that he’d been spotted, he jumped up, threw the shoe at Sendak and yelled, “Fuck off!”

Sendak looked back at Keith for a moment before he turned and stalked towards Lance.

Then Keith did the only thing he could think to do: kick Sendak in the back of his knee, causing him to buckle and fall.

There was no way of knowing exactly how the fight between Sendak and Keith would go down. Keith had no weapons on him besides his regular pocket knife in his boot. Sendak could’ve had anything. Luckily, both men were more intimate with their fighting styles, and went for a old fashioned wrestling brawl.

Sendak stood up and tried to punch Keith again, which he dodged. Although, when Keith straightened and tried for a counterattack, Sendak caught his fist and went for a kick.

As Keith was kicked in the stomach, he realized his disadvantage against the taller man. Sendak had way more of a reach than him. He had to do something to make up for the difference.

Keith let himself stumble back, enough that he was near the couches and tables of the lobby. Then, he ran over and climbed on top of the table.

“Are you going to make a speech?” Sendak teased, marching towards Keith.

When he was close enough, Keith jumped.

And decked Sendak right in the face.

As Sendak faltered, Keith looked around the room for where Lance was. He couldn’t find him. Had he left? Had he gone for help?

Keith took too long worrying and Sendak recovered enough to reach out and grab the back of Keith’s neck.

Keith flailed as he was risen off the ground by his throat, his fingers clawing at the hand holding him up.

“There is no way to get out of this alive. Even if you defeat me, there are tons of men out there willing to kill you to erase their debt. Some will even do it for the paycheck. How dare you think you are anything more than a-”

“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

The hand around Keith’s neck loosened enough for him to be dropped. As soon as he crumbled on the floor, he looked up to see Sendak fighting with someone who had jumped on his back.

“Take that you, mega-dick!” Lance yelled, attempting to hang on to Sendak like a bull rider.

Keith went to stand until he spotted someone with long, white hair walk in the entrance of the lobby.

“Lance, wait-”

Two gun shots were fired.

 

 

Sendak crumbled to the floor, and took Lance down with him.

Keith was laying stomach down on the ground, and propped himself up with his elbows when Lotor knelt down in front of him.

“Agh,” Keith groaned in pain as Lotor lifted his head up by his hair. He could feel a piercing burning in right side. A fire in his stomach.

Lotor whipped his finger out and brushed it across Keith’s lips. He looked geniusly confused when his finger came back covered in blood.

“Are you dying right now?” Lotor asked, genuinely intrigued. 

Keith spit in his face.

Lotor dropped his head, allowing Keith to bang his forehead on the carpet. He walked over and inspected the other two people on the floor.

Sendak was dead. He had a bullet lodged in the side of his head.

Lance was unconscious, moaning quietly. When Lotor turned him on his back, he could see the blood spreading on Lance’s shirt, coming from the right side.

Gently kicking Lance, Lotor asked, “You are connected him, aren’t you? He’s your anchor.”

Keith didn’t answer, he only picked himself as much as possible to attempt to crawl over to Lance.

Lotor walked over and simply stood in front of Keith, stopping him from getting any further, “So if your anchor dies, what happens to you, dear Keith?”

“Get...away...from...him…” Keith bit out as he tried to pull himself together enough to glare.

Lotor laughed and sidestepped, allowing Keith the passage to get to Lance.

“Actually,” Lotor walked around and landed his foot on Keith’s ankle.

Keith screamed as the bone cracked.

“I think we should talk more.” Lotor smirked, “I don’t think I kept my end of the deal. You did say you wanted the debt of a certain person erased? Good thing we have him right here, isn’t it?”

Lance’s breath was slowing.

“GET OFF OF ME!” Keith yelled with everything he had. He couldn’t let Lance die alone. He couldn’t die alone either.

He reached his hand out, if he could just comfort him, let him know that he was there.

Lotor’s foot lifted, only enough for Keith to gain an inch, before it slammed down again.

Keith screamed.

Lance’s eyelids fluttered, his glassy eyes landed on Keith’s face.

“K-?” Lance mumbled.

“I-I’m here,” Keith reached out more, and he grabbed Lance’s fingertips.

Lance’s hand moved forward, and he held his hand.

Keith sobbed, and pulled Lance’s hand towards him, bringing his fingers to his lips. He murmured, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I love you,” into Lance’s skin.

“Oh, please, hold the dramatics.” Lotor complained, “Deal with it, after what you did, you deserve it.”

Keith didn’t have time to ask what he did, because the pressure was lifted off his ankle, and he heard the ground shake as Lotor fell.

Keith looked behind him and saw Narti, who had put Lotor out the same way she had Keith earlier that day.

He pulled himself closer to Lance, practically laying on top of him. He wrapped his arms around him when Axca knelt next to them.

She got out a small bottle and grabbed a pill. Axca smacked Keith’s hand away when he tried to stop her from putting the pill down Lance’s throat.

“This is going to help him.” Axca said, “The Galra can hurt people and cause death, but they also have the ability to help. These won’t fix him completely, but it’ll put him in a hypnotic-type sleep. It’ll slow his heart rate so he won’t bleed out as quickly. He won’t be in pain. And so, neither will you be.”

Axca then took a handful of the pills and shoved them in Lance’s pocket, “He still needs medical attention. He’ll be out of a while with a wound like this. Take these for the future.”

Ezor came around and threw a first aid kit besides Lance, “That will help you until you get to the hospital, I’ve already clued in your friends. They are on their way.”

Zethrid picked up Lotor, and threw him over her shoulder, “We’ll make sure this guy doesn’t mess with you anymore.”

Finally, Narti kneeled next to him. She had a small cup in her hand, filled with a foggy, red liquid.

“For this to work, you have to stay awake,” Axca said, “There’s no falling asleep, there is no dying, if you do, it will not go over easily 

“Lance-his debt needs to be cleared.” Keith struggled to say.

“It will be.” Axca stated, “And you will survive. This drink-I won’t lie-it’s used as a torture, a punishment. Used in our bars for people the Galra aren’t too fond of. It will be painful, you will hallucinate, you will feel trapped. You won’t be able to sleep for a week or so. However, this is your best bet if you want this to work. You have to stay awake while Lance heals. If you so much of nod off, the Galra will take you both. He’s too close to be cautious.”

“His debt. How will-?”

“He’s going to die. Once the pill wears off, he will. The pill is more like being frozen in time. It’ll all hit him at once when he wakes up. But, since his body has healed while he slept, it will only be a moment. Then he’ll come back, just like you do.”

“That...that’s why I have to be awake.”

“You can not die as well. It has to be only him.”

Keith looked at Lance, from the blood puddle under him to the droplets on his lips. His face looked on the side of gray while the veins in his hands were visible and blue.

The liquid tasted like a copper penny, metallic and cold. He drank it all, licking the extract from his lips.

He looked up at Axca, she wished him good luck before she stood.

Narti nodded her head at him, which could’ve been translated in many ways. From another good luck wish to a ‘thank you’, as Keith remembered that he cleared her debt.

He took it as whatever positive reinforcement as he could take.

Keith laid his head on Lance’s slow, rhythmic beating heart as he waited.

Unsure of how much time had passed, he heard footsteps in the lobby, several of them, all moving fast.

“Oh, god,” Keith heard Allura say, “Keith, Lance, can you hear me?”

“Keith doesn’t look injured, why isn’t he responding?” Shiro said.

Keith felt fine. He sat up and open his eyes.

And he yelped and closed them again.

Shiro put his hands on the side of Keith’s head, “Keith, can you hear me?”

Keith tried to squint his eyes open again, but he could only open them slightly. It was _so_ bright. When did it get so bright in the room?

He heard people talking around him, but he didn’t pay attention. He was too busy getting adjusted to the lights of the room.

When he finally did, he blinked a few times and tried to focus on the face in front of him.

It was their _eyes_. From the pupil to the iris to the white were drenched in pure gold, shining brightly like tiny suns in each socket.

Shiro’s old brown eyes were gone, replaced by molten gold. He tried to avert his own eyes as Shiro spoke to him.

“What happened?” Shiro asked, then, referring to Sendak on the ground, “Who is this?”

“Sendak,” Keith rubbed his eyes, “He’s dead now. Lotor killed him.”

“Lotor?” Keith heard Hunk say, “Is he that creepy guy that escaped? Where is he now? Did he...did he shoot Lance?”

Lance.

Keith turned his body wildly, sapping newfound energy. He stared at Lance. Lance’s eyes were closed.

“Keith, look at me.” Allura said, a hand finding his shoulder.

He did his best to, although he aimed his focus on the wall behind her.

“Oh my god, Shiro, look how dilated his pupils are,”

When Shiro came into view, Keith’s hand flew in front of his eyes, not being able to handle the brightness anymore.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, “Are you okay?”

Keith growled, hands still over his eyes, “Shouldn’t we be getting to a hospital or something?”

Allura agreed, “Coran is right up front. Hunk, please, get Lance for me. We have to get him help as soon as possible.”

They left Galra without much trouble, no one tried to stop them. No one was even in the area to do so. As least, not that Keith knew about, he walked leaning against Shiro, eyes averted towards the ground. Not even when they all got into the van and the questions were thrown at him did he look at anyone’s eyes. Pidge and Allura used the first aid case on Lance, trying their best to hold him over until they got to better conditions.

When they asked Keith if he was hurt, he said no.

He kept staring at the floor.

Getting Lance in stable condition was simple, he was already in a coma-like state. Although no one could erase the disturbing image of Lance smiling in his sleep. As if he wasn’t aware of the risk for his life. A grin on his face with a hole in his side.

They treated Keith’s ankle once they realized his pain walking on it.

And once Keith told them about what Lance and him were given, he was allowed to stay in the room with Lance overnight.

But he didn’t sleep.

Now that he was free of open eyes, he began wandering about the room, trying to find something to waste the time.

Keith tried to watch the television in the room, until he realized that the deadly laser applied to the people on TV too. Even when he tried to turn to a boring nature documentary, the sight of the animals with burning golden eyes scared him more than the people.

He settled for reading one of the books in the room. Allura’s office space was full of medical journals, and classical novels. He flipped through a few magazines selling stethoscopes and needles before he got bored.

At 1am, he began reading Allura’s romance novels she kept in the room, in hopes that he could pass the time quicker.

He finished that as the sun rose. After peeking through the rest of Allura’s desks, he began talking to Lance.

“I’m sorry,” Keith apologized, “I didn’t mean for it to all happen like this. I should have told everyone about it. About going to the casino to try to colear the debt. It will be cleared though-at least that’s what Lotor’s people said. I-I don’t know if I should’ve trusted them. What if they gave us bad stuff. But Narti-she-she was fine, so I’m sure…”

Keith was rambling, he realized. Worrying and overthinking when Lance...he was in peace.

Or, not peace, exactly. Axca said he was hypnotized, or something like that.

Keith stood up and leaned over Lance’s sleeping body, and tried to give him instructions, “Lance, move your finger.”

Lance didn’t move.

“Say something.”

Lance didn’t speak.

“Open your eyes.”

Lance’s eyes snapped open, wide, and red. Bright, burning red and orange, like there were flames dragging on his face, everything was so hot and bright and-

“Keith!”

Keith looked up to Allura, standing in her lab coat. Her eyes were still a solid gold, but they were dim. No longer a burning bright.

Allura held her hands together in front of him, she looked worried, “Are you alright?”

Looking down, Lance’s eyes were closed. Still, he wore a small smile on his face. Breathing slowly, he slept.

“Yeah,” Keith nodded, swallowing thickly, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Alright,” Allura said, “Hunk and Pidge are here. They brought you some food, we assume you were hungry. Shiro is on his way to pick you up, so you can stay home for the remainder of...this period.”

Keith rested his hand on Lance’s shoulder, “I want to stay with him.”

“After everything you told us, Keith, your health will be declining. He is safe here, he’s at peace. We will take care of him, now you need to take care of yourself.”

Keith closed his eyes. He was wrong for Lance. He was always so bad for Lance, he couldn’t do anything right.

“Okay.” He didn’t put up a fight. Not another word was exchanged with Allura as he walked out the door.

As she said, Hunk and Pidge were outside. As well, their eyes were dimmed. Still, the cautious expressions they gave him hurt just as much.

“How are you feeling, buddy?” Hunk asked, worried smile on his face.

Keith shrugged, “Food?”

Hunk chuckled, “Of course, we have some rice and teriyaki chicken, my own recipe of course, and steamed veggies.”

They began walking to the nearest lounge area.

Once they came upon a more secluded spot, they had Keith sit down and start eating. Pidge asked some questions.

“So Lance is basically in a coma?”

Keith nodded, and said, “He’s hypnotized, which is why he’s not in pain.”

“And that’s stopping him from dying?”

“For now. He’ll die once he wakes up.” Keith picked at his food.

There were no words. Hunk slowly chewed his food, while Pidge hadn’t yet taken a bite. Everyone knew her mind was racing, trying to figure everything out, trying to find a loophole or a solution.

The hospital was cold and busy. People walked by but no one stopped to check on the three young adults eating rice and chicken in silence.

“So you’ll be awake for six days, then?” Pidge asked.

Keith nodded.

“If you want, you can stay the night at my house tonight? We can play video games or talk about the Loch Ness Monster or whatever.” Pidge offered, smiling, “I’ll probably be up anyway, so it’ll be nice to have the company.”

“Oh, and the next night, you can come over and we can bake all night long. Really comforting and there are a few recipes I’ve been meaning to try out, but had no time too. And who doesn’t love a midnight cupcake?” Hunk added.

Keith smiled and took a small bite of his rice. He was grateful for his friends. They would do anything to help him.

He just wish he could’ve known ahead of time everything they would go through in the next few days.


	27. the collector's torture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warnings: scenes of sleep deprivation caused torture, hallucinations, paranoia
> 
> "You think I'm scared of death? I've done it a million times. I'm fucking great at it. How many times have you died?"  
> -West World. 
> 
> This is it.
> 
> Let's go.

For the first part of the week, Keith had buddy each night. The second night, he played video games with Pidge until he got frustrated on his lack of coordination. The third he spent the night making strawberry shortcake until 3am with Hunk, until he started breaking and dropping everything and let Hunk take over from there. Then spending the fourth night with Allura during her graveyard shift at the hospital, though he wasn’t good company as he stared at the sleeping Lance with a glassy expression.

Each time, Shiro remained off to the side. Always ready to swoop in and take Keith home when he couldn’t handle it anymore.  

On the fifth night, Keith didn’t leave the house. Instead, Pidge, Hunk and Coran came to him. Shiro needed sleep, after taking care of Keith most of the day and only getting naps here and there. The three thought they would have a sleepover at the house, so they could keep an eye on Keith while Shiro could rest. 

As of midnight, Shiro was in his room and the three were playing an old card game on the ground, courtesy of Coran’s vast knowledge. 

Keith was curled up in a tight ball on the corner of the couch. There was a movie playing on the TV directly in front of him. So, one could say he was watching it, since he was facing it. Although, if they looked at the movement of his eyes, that wasn’t the case. 

Recently, Keith’s whole world was turning purple. If he looked at one location long enough, his vision would slowly fade to a dark purple, until blacking out entirely. Not that he was falling asleep, it was like he was going blind, the purple was swallowing him up. 

So he kept his eyes moving, looking from place to place, person to person, running away from the purple following him. 

He had been doing this all day. 

Constantly. Looking up and down and right and left. He couldn’t stay still or they would get him. 

Just like they got Lance. 

“Keith?” Hunk asked, turning his body to look at his friend, “Did you say something?”

“Probably,” Keith replied, looking madly around the room again. 

If Hunk spoke again, Keith didn’t hear him well enough to make a response. 

“It kills me to see him like this,” Hunk said, “I would rather watch him die a million more times than sit here while he's slowly going crazy.”

“He can get through this,” Pidge ensured, “He’s strong. And once he’s done, Lance will be okay and he won’t have to die anymore either.”

Coran spoke, “He’s been awake for 120 hours. By now, he’s ability to think is dramatically decreased and he’s paranoid and frightened. Who knows what he’s seeing right now. The best thing we can do is provide him a safe space and keep an eye on him.”

They nodded, looked in Keith’s direction, then went back to playing their game. 

Keith sat there, chasing away the purple. Time passed, who knew how much. Hunk had fell asleep and Coran went to go wash up. Pidge played on her laptop, sitting in dining room. 

With blurry, lavender vision, Keith watched her, although blinking. He squinted in order to see, and tried to make out what she was doing. 

Was she hacking into the Galra again? What if they found her again? What if they were watching them right now?

After all they have been through, how could Pidge walk right into a trap like that?

Keith stood up and stomped over to the kitchen. 

“Keith?” Pidge asked. 

The fridge was not well stocked. After Shiro took so much time to keep an eye on Keith, he hadn’t been able to go shopping. 

Luckily, Keith was able to find what he was looking for: something blue. 

Keith kicked the fridge door closed ungracefully and proceeded to dump a carton of blueberries on Pidge and her computer. 

“What the hell!” Pidge announced, computer covered in the fruit. 

Coran poked his head in the room from brushing his teeth, “Are you okay, Pidge?”

“Keith just threw a bunch of blueberries at me!” 

“Well, that’s...odd.”

Keith glared, “We saved you.”

“We? From what?” Pidge asked, wiping blueberries off her keyboard.

“The virus.” Keith poked harshly at her computer, a few times. His vision was going purple again, he shook his head and blinked. He looked at the ceiling when he said, “You’re welcome.”

“Uh, thanks?” 

Keith nodded and went back to his spot on the couch and began fighting off the violet. 

“That would’ve been funny if it wasn’t so sad.” Pidge said.

Coran nodded, “I have a feeling this is going to get much sadder before it becomes funny.”

The next day was full of Shiro wrangling Keith in as he ran around the house, screaming and crying and laughing. It was terrifying watching him in that state. Keith kept trying to escape and go see Lance, and sometimes, he got close to succeeding. 

Everything felt like sandpaper to Keith, the ground, the door, his own skin, his clothes. He rubbed his hands against Shiro’s face to see if he felt it too. Shiro was too tall, as if his uncle had gained a few feet in his sleep. Shiro had to stop sleeping, or he would get too tall for the world. 

Keith wanted to go see Lance. He needed to. Keith couldn’t remember if Lance was real. He was having a hard time remembering if anything was real. 

Once the sixth night hit, Keith broke down. He crashed to the floor and covered his face in his hands. He cried for a long time, wailing and sobbing. There were no tears coming from his eyes. 

Everyone took the next day off to watch Keith, and wait for Lance to wake up. 

Hunk and Coran came over to Shiro’s home to help take Keith to the hospital. It was nearing ten at night, and Keith...was hardly responsive. 

Keith had been in the fetal position on the floor for more of the evening. His position hadn’t moved an inch for a few hours. Although, every time Shiro tried to approach him, he would start talking nonsense.

“I can carry him?” Hunk offered. 

“I think that’s the only way we are going to get him out of here.” Coran agreed. 

Shiro crossed his arms, “Are we sure that it’s best to even move him? I know he wants to see Lance, but his mental stability had been decreasing a lot. He’s...not with us right now. I don’t know if he’ll know the difference.”

“Even if that’s so, a hospital is the best place for him to be right now.” Coran said. 

Shiro nodded, “You’re right. Let’s pick him up, Hunk. Slowly.”

They crouched over Keith and found a way to lift him properly. 

Hands carefully found there way under Keith’s armpits as Shiro warned his nephew, “Hey, Keith, we are going to pick you up now.”

Keith didn’t react to the touch, but with his eyes staring forward, he spoke, “Did you tell the monsters we couldn’t play today?”

Hunk raised an eyebrow at Shiro as he hooked his hands on Keith’s legs. Shiro shrugged and said, “Yeah, I told them.”

Once their grip was coordinated, they lifted Keith off the ground. If the sleep-deprived man felt the change, he didn’t show it. 

On the way to the car, Keith kept mumbling about playing with the monsters. 

Shiro took the wheel, Coran in the passenger seat while Hunk made sure Keith was safe in the back.

Keith, who only moved out of his curled up position when Hunk physically places his limbs other way, murmured the whole way there. 

No one could understand what he was saying, and if they had been able to, none of it would have made sense. In Keith’s mind, the world was different than reality. The only person could decipher what was happening was him, and even he was confused. 

Keith gradually became more trapped in this world. By the time they reached the hospital, he had stopped talking. He couldn’t talk. He couldn’t move. There was no way of knowing where Keith was in his world. 

Everyone felt the tension when they placed Keith in a chair to the side of Lance. The silence that washed over them was torturous. They would rather Keith be freaking out, spouting nonsense then him just...sitting there, staring at nothing.

“Tonight is the end of this, right?” Hunk asked Allura.

Allura nodded, checking Keith’s vitals, the only responsive part of him. She winced, “It has to be. I don’t think Keith can take much more of this...I don’t think  _ I  _ can take much more of this.”

They all nodded in agreement, as much as it was Keith, this week had taken a toll on everyone.

Even Lance, who’s peaceful smile had slowly made it’s way to a concerned frown over the last few days. 

With Lance’s grimace and Keith’s blank expression causing to room to feel creepier than it needed to be, everyone passed the time playing games, recounting funny memories, and helping each other with homework. Although they didn’t realize they were doing it, they turned their backs to Keith and Lance. Only glancing to them from time to time, when they saw the silent two, there were chills on their spine. 

It was around midnight on the seventh night. It wasn’t only Keith’s mental state that had deteriorated over the week, but his physical state as well. His eyes were sunken in, the dark bags so heavy, they looked like tattoos. He was paler than usual, as if painted white and blue for the translucent veins that ran under his skin. When he was able to move, it was in slow, jerky movements. He hadn’t passed out, whatever drug he took wouldn’t let him, but he felt lightheaded and as if he could at any moment.

No one could begin to know what was going on in Keith’s mind. No one knew that he was in a different world. That inside his paralyzed body, he was screaming, fighting, and confused. He wanted to run, but he couldn’t move. Wanted to call for help, but he couldn’t speak. 

Keith was trapped inside his head until Lance began twitching his fingers and fluttering his eyes. 

The first to notice was Keith. He suddenly shot up, and stood over the side of Lance’s bed. Standing in a new position and staring at his boyfriend.

Everyone else soon after took notice. 

Pidge started looking at the machines, “Is he waking up?”

The way that Lance groaned and moved his head answered the question. Everyone in the room sighed in relief. 

“Finally,” Coran said. 

The only person in the room who didn’t feel better was Keith, who still glared down at Lance in his sleep. His fists clenched the rails on the hospital bed. 

Shiro put a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “Keith? Can you understand me?”

There was no answer, but Keith seemed to be leaning closer to Lance. He ignored everyone else as he stared Lance down. 

Then, Lance opened his eyes. 

And closed them again as he gasped loudly.  

“Shit!” Allura shouted. 

Hunk panicked, “W-we knew he was going to die once he woke up right?!”

“Well, we didn’t know HOW he was going to! He’s having a seizure!” Pidge shouted. 

“We have to let him ride it out, move everything out of the way so he doesn’t hurt himself!” Allura said. 

It didn’t take long with everyone helping. Shiro attempted to move Keith back from him as well, but Keith wouldn’t bulge.  

Lance seized for too long, and at the time that he’s been fighting the seizure for 5 minutes, Allura couldn’t help but to start crying. Hunk held her as they waited for Lance to finally stop. 

And he did. He quieted down, and became still. Lance’s heart stopped. 

Keith reached down and grabbed Lance's hand. Keith turned his head to look at Allura and Hunk. He said, “Save him.”

Immediately, they began to do what they did best. 

“Pidge, get an AED. Hunk start CPR. Coran, we are going to need more IV fluid, so set it up. Shiro,” Allura instructed, “watch Keith.”

The hospital room erupted in a bustling and rushing. Everyone did their part to save Lance. The only person who remained still was Keith and Lance, who remained as bystanders during the experience. 

Luckily, it only took two electric pulses from the AED to start Lance’s heart again. 

Lance leaned up and gasped at the final shock. His body picked up the slack and began working for itself again. 

The first thing Lance did was look at Keith and say his name. 

Keith smiled and passed out. 

  
  


 

“Wakey wakey,” 

Keith’s eyelids felt heavier than they have ever been.

“I know you are waking up,” 

He scanned over his body, moving his bare feet against the soft blankets. 

“Come on, I know you aren’t a morning person, but it’s totally 8pm. So by default, it doesn’t count.” 

There was a hand holding his own, and he squeezed it gently.

“You’re so cute.”

Keith slowly opened his eyes, blinking to rightfully see Lance smiling down at him.

Lance chuckled as Keith squinted, “Good morning, sunshine. You slept for 22 hours, how do you feel?”

Instead of answering, Keith brought his hand up to cradle Lance’s face before kissing him. 

Once they pulled away from the gentle peck, Lance laid back down to cuddle his boyfriend, “Yeah, I missed you too.”

“How do you feel?” Keith asked, nuzzling his face in Lance’s neck. 

Lance held on tighter, “A lot better. I feel like I had a cleanse or something. Extremely refreshed and calm. I have more energy than ever.”

“Didn’t know that was possible.”

“How are you feeling?” 

Keith sighed, “Groggy. I think it’s going to take a bit to recover from that, but I feel better.”

Lance pressed a kiss to Keith’s cheek, “Have I told you that you are amazing? You have gone through so much for me. I wish I could somehow make it up to you.”

Keith pulled away to look at Lance’s face, “Just...stay with me.”

“I can do that.”

They kissed and talked and cuddled for the new hour or so. After properly hydrating and being forced to do some stretches from his ecstatic boyfriend, Keith was ready to go out. 

Apparently Lance had sent a text to everyone that Keith was back before he even woke up. Lance’s explanation for that was ‘your nose crinkles when you are waking up’.

“Keith!” Hunk ran over and nearly tackled him with a hug, “Finally! How are you feeling? Can I make you something? Whatcha thinking?”

Keith smiled, “Nothing right now, Hunk, but it’s nice to see you.”

He went around and greeted everyone. 

Shiro smiled at him, “I would’ve been there when you woke up, but Lance demanded that you saw him first. He’s been in your room with you since we got here.”

Lance blushed, but then changed the subject, “Anyway, so apparently it was super awful while I was gone. Bet you guys were so bored.”

“We played a lot of games actually,” Pidge said, “It was a lot more fun without your whining.”

“ _ Excuse me? _ ” 

Coran patted Keith’s shoulder, “Nice to see you up and moving again. You took quite a risk there, boy. But we are all proud of you.”

“You did amazing. Really took one for the team,” Allura nodded.

“Badass,” Pidge agreed, “And in the end, we saved Lance with some good old medical science,”

Allura and Pidge fist-bumped. 

Shiro nodded, “You made the team proud.”

Keith ducked his head, “I’m sorry I lied to you all. I think I’ve finally learned my lesson. Thank you for being there for me no matter what.”

A chorus of ‘no problem’ and ‘of course’ rand around the room. Lance tugged on Keith’s arm. 

“Now that’s out of the way, we gotta show you something!” Lance said, “Hunk, could you please?”

Hunk groaned, and sat on the couch, “Do I have to? Why can’t Pidge be the dummy?”

“Because it made Pidge puke. You don’t react to it much!” Lance explained. 

“What is this?” Keith asked. 

Lance held Keith’s hand, “Okay, think about Hunk falling asleep. Three, two, one…”

Keith did what he was told and soon, Hunk passed out on the couch. Instantly, there was no warning, he simply slumped down.

“Holy shit,” Keith muttered, “Is he okay?”

“We’ll have to ask him,” Lance smirked, “Imagine him waking up.”

Once he did, Hunk groaned loudly and yawned,”Ugh, I hate that! It’s like a bad nap every time!”

“Did...did we do that?” Keith asked.

Lance nodded eagerly, taking both of Keith’s hands in his. Lance’s warmth mixed of the cold of Keith’s under stimulated skin. Lance explained, “I figured it out while you were asleep. I told Pidge to go to sleep since she’s been up forever, and I guess it got in your head too. At first it was terrifying. I didn’t know how to wake her up. Now, we both know...Keith...we have a fucking superpower!”

Keith broke into a grin, “Dynamic duo.”

Lance laughed, “Yes, I guess so.”

“It’ll come in handy when we infiltrate Galra next.”

Keith looked over to Shiro who had his arms crossed, a stern expression on his face.

“We are going to keep going?” Keith wondered.

Allura agreed, “There are people who need help. With everything we know, we can’t let them suffer.”

“Some woman tried to come in contact with you. She asked if you were okay and offered to help in any way she could.” Coran mentioned. 

“If we all work together, we can bring them down,” Pidge smirked, “For good.”

“Just as long as you two don’t try that sleepy time bit on any of us again. Leave that for the bad guys please,” Hunk mentioned, still groggy from waking up. 

Keith’s small living room, decorated with only one couch and a dining table off to the side, was full of so many people who loved and stood for him. He felt the same for them as well. 

He looked up at Lance, who wore a look of pure determination. Keith squeezed his hand. 

“Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's crazy to think that it's done, but here it is. 70k+ words later, A Collection of Near Death Experiences is finished. Thank you so much for people who have been reading since the beginning, you guys mean so much to me. Every single comment kept me going, they still do to create more things. This is a hella big accomplishment for me, the longest thing I've written, and something I'm proud of. The concept of this is something that I've thought long and hard about and that feels so original. That being said, if anyone has an idea for this crazy concept, a comic, a fic, art, please do with it as you will, I want to see your ideas. Just tag me in it so I can find it! 
> 
> Again, thank you for sticking around, your kudos and comments mean everything to me! Have happy holidays and see you all soon!


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